


Venus Ridens - Tyger, Tyger

by JadedPandaGirl



Series: Witchy Bussiness [18]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Sex, Bad Jokes, Begging, Biting, Companionable Snark, Consensual, Dante fell into a trap, Edging, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Femdom, Fluff and Smut, Light Bondage, Magic, Oral Sex, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Pegging, Rough Sex, Sex, Sex Magic, Sex Toys, Switching, Teasing, Vaginal Sex, Witches, and he doesn't want to come out, sexy teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 11:23:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17099675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadedPandaGirl/pseuds/JadedPandaGirl
Summary: Tess gets out the sex grimoire she was gifted and leads Dante into a trap to teach him some lessons on restraint.Namely, his own restraint.To her bed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My DMC Discord Server](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+DMC+Discord+Server).



> Would you look at that, it's another year, another holiday season and I'm writing smut again. 
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, sinners.
> 
> Pray for Dante, he's gonna need it.

Dante pulled the magazine down off his face when his office door creaked open gently; too gently for it to have been Lady or Trish and certainly not Nero. So it would either be a hesitant in-the-flesh customer or…

“Well, well, what can I do for you, Twig?” he asked, smirking a bit at the sight of the witch at his doorstep.

The redhead smiled at his observation, mirth filling her green eyes. “You’re getting better at preventing my little surprises,” she chuckled.

Dante sighed and sat up. “I can’t keep getting ambushed by everyone just because I like taking naps at my desk,” he said. “So other than interrupting said nap… any other reasons you’re haunting my shop, Tess?”

She approached his desk and shrugged. “Pleasure of your company?”

He scoffed expressively. “Nah, nah… you’re after something,” said the demon hunter.

“Oh come on,” Tess chortled. “You’ve got this idea that I only ever come here when I need something,” she pouted. “It’s entirely unfair.”

“Entirely unfair,” he said in his best worst impression of Tess' tone with a wan smile. “Wonder where I got that idea from,” he added, picking up his magazine again. He leaned back in his chair and flipped the well-loved pages open.

The redhead groaned quietly and leaned forward, planting her hands on the desk. “Ugh, fine,” she surrendered. “But I mean it about wanting your company. I have a small job, delivering something from one coven to another. I’d like some company for the road; it’s a bit of a drive.”

“Aaaaand?” Dante asked meaningfully; he’d be damned if he made this easy for her.

“And if that company is also intimidating enough to prevent any shenanigans from one coven, that’d be lovely,” she admitted.

“So ya want a bodyguard,” he sighed, lifting the magazine enough so she wouldn’t see him smile. “I knew it.”

Tess peeked over his magazine. Looking up he could see the small frown crinkling her freckled face. “Tch, you’ve read this rag already. Are you gonna abandon a poor woman to a lonely, boring drive and the depravities of cranky witches or what?”

Dante blinked at her leisurely and then he lowered the magazine as his gaze travelled downwards. Oh the mean little vixen; she was wearing a peach-colored tank top and the way she was bent over put her cleavage riiiight at eye-level. Her bra was black silk, he observed casually. He stared shamelessly, musing how the fabric drooped just right to give him a good view, then flicked his gaze up at her eyes again. 

“I don’t know, Twig, I like the thought of you grumbling over the steering wheel,” Dante said with an impish smile. “Swearing yourself blue in the face that you’ll curse my ass,” he teased and looked back down at the magazine. “Which is, as you know, fine.”

She feigned indignation very faithfully and leaned back, depriving him of the sight of her cleavage with an exaggerated eyeroll. “Yes, yes, you _are_ a fine ass but don’t tempt me there, Romeo, I’ve learned a couple of fun curses lately,” she warned, but the tweak of her lips showed no malice.

She wasn’t much of a believer in the ‘if I have to suffer, so do you’ doctrines – unless bad music was involved. Dante was getting comfortable with his magazine, ready to hear her beg when she sighed.

“Well, that’s too bad; I had a reward for you in mind, too.”

He froze, pale eyes slowly looking back up towards the ginger. “Not saying I’m interested, but humor me, Twig; what’s the reward?”

She faked that shrug like a pro. “Oh, well since you’re not interested, what does it matter?”

Dante groaned internally. Darn this witch and her ability to pique his curiosity. He smiled tartly up at her. “Humor me,” he repeated, trying to keep his tone bored.

“Weeeell, I happen to have fresh strawberries… and bourbon vanilla ice cream… and whip cream at my loft,” she said casually. “Everything needed for a sundae... and a book with sexy magic,” she added innocently. Then she shrugged, turning around as if to leave. “But you're not interested, sooo...”

Dante’s eyebrow twitched. He… he was not interested. He was _not_ interested. Of course, it would’ve been more convincing if he didn’t suddenly looked up with eyebrows bowed up and hadn’t absently licked his lips at the thought of bourbon vanilla and strawberries.

“Not interested,” he lied. “Does bourbon even go with strawberries?”

Tess stopped, almost at the door. “It’s Rose’s special recipe for bourbon vanilla from Lost Dogs. And you know that if you haven’t tried her special version,” she said sweetly, “you haven’t lived.”

A frustrated sigh preluded the sound of a magazine tossed on the desk heavily. He _had_ tried that stuff. “How long’s the trip?” Dante asked.

Because darn it, who was he to pass up a free goddamn sundae in the company of a cute witch? Dammit. The things he did for this woman.

Tess managed to school her features away from an irritatingly triumphant and smug smirk into a mere smile. “Just a couple of hours, both ways. I don’t expect too much trouble but with our luck…”

She chuckled meaningfully.

“Babe, you’re bringing me along,” Dante chuckled ruefully, standing up and snatching up Rebellion. “You’ve already _got_ trouble.”

He might regret this later but on the other hand, he also knew that he probably _wouldn’t_ anyway. He cheekily patted her butt as he joined her at the door. “So who’s driving?”

She didn’t bother swatting his hand away. “Me, obviously. My girl hasn’t gone on a good ol’ road trip in a while and I don’t want to end up upside down in a ditch.”

Dante sighed wistfully. Her fierce black 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner was parked just outside, looking too demure for the rejuvenated wildcat packed under the hood. He held the door open for her before he locked the office up, sulking.

“There we go again with calling me a reckless driver…” he sighed. “Ya wreck one car while hunting demons and suddenly everyone calls you Captain Crash.”

Still, it was nice to let someone else do the driving; he could nap... and he could be a little naughty. Not enough to end them in a ditch but maybe he make things fun.

“Shotgun,” he declared in jest.

Tess chuckled. “Yeah, yeah,” she said, opening driver’s side door and stretching luxuriously before she stepped in. “Just don’t forget your seatbelt; I don’t need to see you flying through my windshield if something happens. Lady’s told me about her bike, anyway.”

Dante screwed up his face as he put Rebellion on the rear seat and got in the car, appreciating that he never needed to fold himself up awkwardly to fit in this car. “Dare I even ask what you and Trish and Lady get up to on your girls’ nights out?”

Tess wasn’t as gentle a driver as one might think. The Roadrunner was a car with teeth, as they say, and she had no problem letting the old girl show them.

“Oh, you know, this and that,” the witch said casually. “She's told me some fun stories about you. Like your awkward attempt to get a kiss after fighting her.”

Dante scoffed. “Is that how she painted that? An awkward attempt? Please,” he shrugged. “I was giving her time to either accept or reject it—“

“I’m so glad you learned your lesson after me,” she said and Dante had to snort. “But I have to ask: Have you _actually_ been propositioned by a cat demon? I think she was making that one up.”

Dante opened his mouth for a snappy retort but paused. “I… hmm. Actually…”

Nope, he was drawing up a blank. So many weird things happened to him over the years that sometimes it all just kind of blended together. “You know, I can’t remember,” he admitted sheepishly and then chuckled. “I’ll have to ask her. I mean, I guess? Wouldn’t be the first demon to hit on me.”

Tess laughed heartily. “I believe it! I wonder how many offers you’ve accepted,” she teased.

“Dunno Twig, how many ghosts hit on you?” he fired back.

“Ouch, touché,” she tutted. “Oh, is it true you once got so wasted you proposed to a mop?”

He groaned and she giggled at him. “Okay, look,” he said, both index fingers coming up to set the record straight on a joke that had gone on too long. “That was a joke… and I can’t believe Lady still tells that story! I wasn’t _that_ wasted and I was just making an elaborate joke!”

Sure, he laughed, but after nearly twenty years that damn story needed to die. 

Tess giggled. “Oh I don’t know, sure sounds like something you’d do,” she teased, taking a turn at what was probably too much speed but she and the car were entirely unfazed. “But I admit, I’ve been telling her some bullshit too. She now believes I have, in fact, done the dancing-under-the-moon-naked thing while drunk. Which of course, I have not; it's never warm enough for naked dancing.”

“Nothing says ya can’t babe,” he purred with a grin. “I can always warm ya up. You could say you summoned up a demon,” he added, not bothering to hide the innuendo he was laying on thick.

Screw subtlety when he could get the Twig laughing more. Which, she in fact did. “Oh yes, that’s something I should certainly do, I’ll go down in history as the witch who tamed the scion of Sparda himself! In bed, no less.”

Dante snorted a laugh, cheeks hurting from smiling so hard and trying to contain his laughter. “Just don’t tell them all it took was promising me strawberry anything,” he chuckled. “Don’t need my street cred ruined.”

The seat creaked as Dante reached to the side and made it recline a little, letting him get comfortable as he shut his eyes. “So about that book ya mentioned… wouldn’t happen to be that Venus thing, would it?”

“Bingo,” she hummed.

He scoffed. “I thought you felt it was too much trouble, considerin’ what happened when you got it,” he said and smiled widely, thinking of the incident. Perhaps it was time to try that again, soon… “Ya learn anything interesting from it?” he teased. 

Tess chuckled mischievously. “I memorized a curse that compels a target to run off for a date with Rosie Palms – it's good when you need to distract someone,” she said while Dante hooted. “You know, for all the weird stuff it has, there’s a lot of practical things too like pain relief charms… and then there’s the _fun stuff_.”

She left that hanging as if to see if he'd bite... and to his shame, he did.

“So you actually read through it,” he snickered impishly. “Tsk tsk, naughty girl—wait, fun stuff?”

It wasn’t as if they had anything else to do on the road. If that little book had such depths to plumb… he hated to admit it but he was dying to know what had piqued her interest. “What kinda fun stuff? I mean other than making some poor guy jerk himself raw.”

She cackled quietly, and Dante was sure she allowed herself to sound a little like a wicked witch on purpose.

“Well... There's a few... _cheats_ shall we say; causing clothes to fall off or ensuring some damn privacy –I should learn that lock spell, seemed good,” she sighed as they sailed down the highway. “But I was thinking of something like...”

She seemed to hum a strange tune under her breath and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Dante thought she was just being evasive. Until the trail end of the hum when Dante felt the soft zing of magic, stretching itself like a lazy cat and then… was that the subtle sensation of fingers brushing from his chest down to his navel!?

Dante blinked and sagged into his seat a bit. That felt eerily like the Twig’s fingers but the realization that Tess hadn’t moved at all to do that and the utter familiarity of the touch drew an audible, slightly aroused gasp from him. He’d actually curled gently into the touch.

“Tess, don’t you _dare_ do this for the rest of the drive, focus on the road,” he said with a forced chuckle. 

This was no coincidence. She had _planned_ this. Trap him in a small space with her for a couple of hours, where he couldn’t exactly get back at her without putting them in danger. He was all too aware how distracting this could get and how quickly it could get out of hand. Being blue-balled by the time she was done with him wasn’t a good prospect considering how wound up he knew he’d get.

Tess just hooted mirthfully, glancing at him with an impish smile.

“Ooh, getting hot under the collar there, Dork Knight? Little bit of poking make you uncomfortable?” she said coyly.

“What is that?” he managed.

Tess giggled. “Whoever created it calls it ‘the magic touch’ and I’m not about to judge,” she replied. 

He grumbled vaguely at her, hoping to discourage her from pushing it further but a mile or so down the road she did it again, this time the ghostly fingers combing through his hair teasingly before they fled.

“Hmm... feels nice,"” she murmured, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

Dante groused; so she wasn’t just poking him blindly, she could feel what she touched! Cruel, cruel woman, he thought, the full scope of what she could do dawning on him. Her touch lingered on his skin as if it had been real, and now Tess was cruelly playing with his hair. So brief and teasing but again without being able to discern where or when she would strike next, Dante couldn't hold back the soft gasp that fell from his lips.

“Tess...” came the warning. Fucking hell, this was going to be a long trip.

He needed a distraction desperately. The car was so quiet beside the rumble of the engine--

There! There was the distraction. Without hesitation, Dante sat up and started to rifle through the CDs in her glovebox. He pushed past Miles Davies and Count Basie, under Rolling Stones to a comprehensive anthology of Queen. He hesitated between them and David Bowie before snatching the Queen CD and popped it in.

“You’re horrible, by the way,” he said tartly, sitting back and determined to get back at her with some loud singing confined to the small interior of the car. 

She just snickered quietly, keeping her eyes on the road and only favoring him with an impish glance and an innocent look.

 _Oh yes, sooo very innocent,_ he thought.

“Yes, I'm perfectly wicked,” she chortled. “Comes with the whole witch thing, sweetheart, you know that.”

This was going to be a very long ride.


	2. Chapter 2

With the highway stretching ahead, Tess really put her foot down. The car lunged ahead with a happy roar of the engine, eating the distance with almost living greed. Dante was still grumbling at her dirty tricks… all the while deep down wishing for more. She must’ve caught his expression.

“If I stopped cold turkey you'd complain I wasn't paying you attention,” she chuckled.  

He tried to ignore her and started to sing along to the music, purposefully badly, but she seemed to have been waiting for him to hit the first few bars of song; _two_ hands ghosted from his shoulders down to his chest, giving his pecs a playful squeeze before fading. It worked. Dante’s singing faltered mid-note with a strangled hitch and he abruptly fell quiet, mouth hanging open as pale eyes dropped to where hands should’ve been the moment he felt the soft sensation again.

“God dammit, Tess, focus on the road,” he muttered, cursing internally.

She just chuckled quietly. “But I'm not even looking at you,” she protested.

Damn her! And damn the little voice in the back of his head asking for more! He was already thinking about those hands going _other_ , far more daring places on his body and he hated himself for wanting that. He shouldn’t be this easy, damn it!

Except he tended to be, for Tess. Damn demonic nature’s kink for witches.  

“If you wanted me to be quiet, this ain’t the way,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“No? You sound like you'd like me to do something _else_ ,” she countered. “I'm surprised this spell is so effective. I didn't think you'd find it this appealing.”

Dante grumbled; she was leaving lengthy stretches of time between her little touches, just long enough for him to go from irritation to longing. He had to give her props for the sheer cunning of this trap – plans _were_ her forte.

“Just took me by surprise,” he snapped.

That was it; surprise, that’s what got him so bothered. It was _not_ the plethora of ideas that leaped into his head about all the devious uses for this spell. At least, how he’d _like_ her to use it. Depending on the range, she could easily do this to him in public, for shit’s sake, while he was on the phone, when he couldn’t see her, still able to tease and bother him… in the same way _he_ usually bothered _her_ when he was bored and in close enough proximity.

This was clearly revenge!  

 _It’s the whole bound-and-blindfolded kink, right?_ he thought.

He was familiar with wrecking a person’s nerves through the anticipation of the unknown; he just never considered himself as its victim. His senses and self-awareness helped him predict and foil any moves his opponents or lovers might make. Body heat was easy to read and his sharp sense of his surroundings always made it hard for anyone to pull a seductive fast one on him with such a game. He knew when they would make a move and where.

But right now Dante finally, _fully_ understood why the game was such a turn on. He wanted more, and it left the half-demon forever on his toes.

And his cute tormentor _knew it_.

“Are you sure?” she pressed coyly. “Are you sure it's not that you're thinking of all the naughty things I could be doing with this? Not to mention all the fun... _magical_... ideas I’ve unearthed in my new favorite book back home?”

She glanced at him innocently with a batting of eyelashes before returning her gaze to the road. She grasped the gear-shift... her hand caressed the leather almost lovingly and she decisively changed gears. The car surged ahead and along with that powerful rumble of the engine, another ghostly hand slid further down his chest towards his navel.

“For fuck’s sake,” he chuckled under his breath. His eyes had been glued on the way her hand suggestively worked the gearshift. “You’re being cruel to your partner, babe.” 

When the ghost hand returned, Dante couldn't help but whine silently. It was so hard keeping his hips from bucking up, and a desire to not end up upside down in the scenery was the only thing that kept him from just grabbing the witch's actual hand and putting it right on his crotch. Dante's only option in this situation was to grit his teeth, play it up and squirm. Make himself a distraction to annoy Tess, that was a good plan… until he realized how much it could backfire.

Darn it, he was so used to cornering Tess and making _her_ squirm, but that was impossible in a speeding car where she was supposed to be focusing on the road!

“Don’t force me to make a spectacle of myself,” Dante huffed, head rolled back and face turned away from the driver. “I'm very good at making myself a distraction.”

“Oh yes, let’s not forget you’ve built a business on it,” she said sweetly. “So I'll make you a deal.”

Dante’s ears perked up, so to speak. “Go on…”

“I'll stop the teasing _for now_... and you behave yourself for one more hour until we're back at my place. Then you can make a spectacle of yourself all you like.” She slowed the car as they drove off the highway and into an inconspicuous settlement just off it. “I'll even give you a reward and a treat for...good behavior,” she added with a wink as she pulled up in front of a particular building that looked like a small-time office complex.

“What, ya mean the strawberry bourbon sundae?”

He glanced at her, brows raised. Sure, he knew damn well that she could be talking about oh so many other things with the way things were going now. So he rolled with it.

“You owe me that one for coming along on this trip anyway, so you better sweeten the deal if ya want me to behave myself.”

He smiled wickedly at her, then stretched, arching his body off the seat slightly with a little salacious grunt, just to demonstrate how he could _not_ behave himself on the trip if his bribe wasn’t good enough. The witch seemed unperturbed.

“So I was thinking… are you game to test out a little spell for magic ropes?” she counter-offered. “Bit of stop and go?”

Dante actually froze a little. “Stop and go…?” he repeated before the full implication raised a hand enthusiastically in his mind.

Mundane restraints were a mere joke and he’d been the victim of magical restraints before but nothing he couldn’t eventually brute-force his way out, and he wasn’t used to having control wrested from him for a lengthy amount of time. So to give it up voluntarily…

He hesitated. “Where’s this comin’ from all of a sudden, Twig? I didn’t peg ya for the type to enjoy tying people up but then again… you _are_ a witch _,_ I guess. But didn’t ya learn your lesson about messing with that grimoire the _last_ time?” he chuckled. 

She smirked. “Sure, I learned that it’s magic’ll affect you no problem,” she said. “You look like you'd enjoy getting tied up… and getting teased until you’re about to snap. I wonder how much the ropes would hold. Of course, there’d be a reward at the end…”

Dante sat up, smiling carefully. “So let me get this straight,” he said with an amused tone, still tinged with suspicion. “You want to tie up a powerful half-demon, blue-ball him and then see how durable your magic ropes are? You’re crazy, Twig.”

He was very careful to mask his own curiosity about the tension that could hide in the concept of actually being trapped.

“I mean… we both know what happened last time,” he chuckled. “Ya know my libido runs _kinda_ high when I’m all pent up. Who knows what I’d do if I was frustrated too.”

Tess snickered. “Well, I wouldn’t _leave_ you like that,” she said. “Just take you to the edge, let you squirm a little bit…” She looked him straight in the eye. “…and then fuck you until you’re a blubbering mess under me. I might consider letting you go then.”

Dante’s eye twitched a bit. Oh now she’d pricked his pride – both his male pride and his demonic pride. Make _him_ squirm? Tess was playing a dangerous game and he felt his demonic side growl quietly in protest – the impudent little witch needed a firm reminding of who was in charge here! But still… that was a thrown gauntlet and Dante could never, ever shy away from those challenges, and the opportunity to foil her best laid plans was tempting. He had no doubt that he could, in fact, break any restraints she used, magic or no magic. Yes, he was going to relish the look of surprise in the witch's eyes as her arrogance unleashed something horny and uncontrollable.

It’d be perfect revenge to leave the poor woman delightfully sore afterwards.

The demon hunter narrowed his eyes at the witch. “Fine then. You’re on. I’m gonna make you eat those words, Twig.”

“I’d love to see you try!” she chuckled. “But I’m not gonna make it easy for you.”

“Look at you, so cock-sure. Let me guess, witchy tricks?” he groused.

“Maaaaybe.” She craned herself over the gearbox and kissed his cheek. “We have a deal then. Now sit tight, I’ll be right back with the package.”

He huffed at the peck as she opened her driver’s side door and slid out, then stooped to look at him. “Seriously, if I’m not out in ten or the building catches fire, that means I probably need the cavalry, ok?”

Dante smirked tartly. “If I have to come to your rescue, then _I_ get to try the book out on you instead. Deal, go get it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Best laid plans, Dante. 
> 
> Best laid plans.


	3. Chapter 3

Tess made a point of taking the car keys with her, just in case Dante was thinking of a quick joyride. He relaxed in his seat; normally he would have the urge to mess about just to annoy her but now he had other things to think about – and it occurred to him that she was leaving him to stew. What could she have in mind for him? Tess was pretty sneaky when she wanted to. And he was still grappling with the idea of actually allowing himself to be bound. Potentially for real. As fun as this sounded… did he really trust her so implicitly? Combat was one thing but bondage…

The minutes ticked by and just when he thought that cavalry charge was due, the door of the building opened once more and Tess hurried out with a wrapped parcel under her arm. She had a mixed look, annoyance and exasperation. Dante smiled thinly; he called that her ‘I just dealt with an idiot coven’ look. She tossed the parcel in the trunk and got back in the car.

“These people, I swear,” she mumbled and started the engine. “Like the Mafia, sometimes. So! Had fun imagining yourself tied up at my mercy?”

“Spaghetti and witchcraft?” he asked back, careful to avoid that barb.

“Kinda,” she groused, pointing the car back towards the freeway. “My clients don’t trust these guys, they asked me to feign being part of the coven and pick this up so I could sense if anything was off. I can see why they’re so wary. These guys are _weird.”_

“Bad weird?” he asked carefully.

“ _Weird_ weird.” She made a face. “There's this one creep in this coven who keeps trying to recruit me... or maybe that's just her version of hitting on me? I don’t know. Anyway, she's the coven's 'head of security' or what have you and I honestly don't trust her. She's into weird shit. But she knew you were out here so thank fuck she didn't do that... hovering over me thing she does. _Eugh._ Thank you so much for coming with me.”

Dante smiled a little sympathetically but then settled in his seat for the return trip. “Ah, so the truth’s out,” he drawled. “Ya wanted some anti-creep insurance.”

He shrugged. “I mean… I could’ve come in with ya, spare you the embarrassment,” he suggested.

Tess simpered. “Out of the kindness of your heart.”

“You know it.” 

Yes, that was totally it. Because Dante _totally_ wouldn’t have enjoyed making these coven creeps squirm about having him at their doorstep. And he totally wouldn’t have enjoyed looming over whoever thought they could get their creep on with _his_ witch.

She chuckled. “The thought’s appreciated but I wouldn’t wanna inflict them on you,” she said. “I can manage these kinda people. That woman’s just the stand out act in a group of assholes. Father’s sins casting long shadows, you know the deal.”

Dante nodded sagely. Did he _ever!_ He usually didn’t care what witches got up to as long as it didn’t involve demons, or him (or both) and they mutually avoided him. He never was sure why some covens were _scared_ of him but on the other hand, if it kept them out of his hair unless they wanted to hire him, all the better. Less complicated for everybody.

“Can’t really blame them though, Twig,” Dante drawled, wanting to drag some levity back into the conversation. “We both know how demons get about witches. Being predatory’s just in our nature. I mean, can you blame me?”

Tess wheezed. “Oh I know all about _your_ predatory habits, mister,” she said with a smirk. “Little bit of a tease and you go into hunter mode.”

Her accusation was met with a bark-like laugh. “Hey, not my fault you keep acting like prey around me!” he chuckled. “Always in my face, trying to rile me up. One of these days you might finally learn your lesson.”

His hand slipped like silk over to the witch's lap and gloved fingers teased towards the inside of one leg and up to her crotch.

“I might even jump ya when you least expect it…” he crooned.

He watched her face, eyes focused on the road but her lips rolled a bit tantalizingly, caught by her teeth… until once again, Tess reminded him that she had the upper hand in this trip. Her lips had barely moved this time, but a ghostly finger ran slowly down his spine. His back arched suddenly at the titillating touch that ripped a quiet, startled gasp from him and forced him to pull his hand back to his side of the car in a hurry.

“Dammit…” he muttered, feeling his face get a little warm from the mild embarrassment of being caught so easily.

Bad witch, figuring out a button he didn’t even know he had!

“You’re one to talk, Dante, you never learn either,” she teased. “But then again… you _like_ it when prey doesn’t just roll over, right?”

He grunted a vague agreement as the ghostly fingers trailed up his spine and over the back of his neck to comb through his hair playfully before retreating. She was being _mean._ The soft touch made him want to lean into it; this build-up was driving him nuts. He refused to dignify that little jibe with an answer even though something in the back of his mind affirmed that yes, he enjoyed the chase, the vying for dominance. He ground his teeth to stay silent, refusing to let her see his fluster but he knew his face was warm.

He stole glances towards Tess as she drove; her lips were pinched together and she looked like she was fighting hard not to giggle. Yeah, she definitely could tell he was frustrated. He was surprised she wasn’t cackling like a proper evil witch. They finally turned off the freeway back into familiar streets, and eventually pulled up in front of an inconspicuous little tea shop.

“Give me five, I’ll drop this off and then we’ll see about your reward,” she said cheekily.  

He could practically hear the laughter she was holding back, and it only made him more frustrated. He sulked at her but his hands twitched a bit at the mention of the reward. It was so temping to just get out of the car and pin her against the hood and make her pay for teasing him… but the prospect of the reward dangled before him kept him planted in his seat.

He was fuming. He knew he was pouting and he knew how Tess felt about his pouting face. It frustrated him, how often she’d say that he looked cute when he pouted! He sat there with his arms folded over his chest, trying to settle the tantrum building up in him. He glanced around the car. He ended up venting his frustration by messing with the angle of her seat, skewing the rearview mirror, pointed all the dashboard fans right at her, set to full blast and fiddled with the steering-wheel angle.

The petty revenge made him feel marginally better.

Tess fairly skipped out of the teashop just as he settled back into his seat, with his head turned to the side and his forehead pressed against the side of the window, faking a nap. She slid into the driver’s seat and then blinked, confused.

“Wha…?” she blurted but then groaned, half-irritably, half-amused. “Really,” she tutted, smiling wryly. “Gosh, some demon came in and messed with my car and you did nothing,” she said, adjusting her seat and rearview mirror.

Dante very unconvincingly tried to avoid smiling as he continued evading her gaze. “So much for those wards on your car, Twig,” he said as she drove off. “Fat lotta good they were against gremlins, I totally didn’t see anything.”

Her groan made him smile. He felt better now. He just simpered a little all the way to the back streets leading to her house, where she pulled up in front of the red brick warehouse conversion that housed her loft. He rolled his shoulders absently as they passed through the protective wards Tess had laid around her home – if nothing else, he could relax now. Knowing she had potent protections around her home, where she was most vulnerable and where _he_ might get a bit vulnerable now… well, he felt better about it.

“You haven’t installed a sex dungeon, have you?” Dante asked. “Maybe ya should if you’re gonna mess with that book more, Twig.”

Tess laughed as she unlocked her front door and invited him in. Tess’ loft was comfortably warm and cozy and Dante breathed out. It smelled of coffee and home baking, old books and spices. It smelled… like home. He walked in, politely propping Rebellion under the coat rack and shrugging his coat off.

“So there was talk of a strawberry sundae, Twig,” he said, and stretched luxuriously before shedding his holsters and guns, depositing them on her coffee table.

She pulled off her own jacket. “Yes, yes but do you want dessert first… or do you want it as a consolation prize after I’ve tied you up?” she chuckled.

He narrowed his eyes at her as he toed off his boots carefully, watching her kick off her Docs. Was that _nervousness_ creeping into his gut? And it irked him that she could probably tell – sometimes he hated that she could read everything in his aura and only the knowledge that Tess simply couldn’t shut it off made him feel better about it. In fact, both of them were deeply vulnerable to each other. He couldn’t hide and she hated lying. He sought refuge in levity.

“Oh look who’s itching to get her little claws in me,” he said with a saucy smile, stalking up to her and towering over her. “That eager to put me in my place?”

She boldly stared him down from below and folded her arms over her chest haughtily. “Shouldn’t someone?”

“Oh ho, no, no, don’t you do that,” he chuckled, aware of her tricks. He allowed his gaze to travel from her cleavage to her mirthful eyes. “You’re tryin’ to lull me into a false sense of security, Twig. I’ll have ya know,” he said, wagging a challenging finger at her, then gently flicking her freckled chin, “that powerful demons have tried and failed at this game! Think I’m just gonna lay there and _let_ ya tie me up?”

Yes, yes, he’d agreed to this little experiment but nothing said he had to make it easy!

But she narrowed her eyes at him, smiling wider and as expected, looked entirely undaunted by his grandstanding.

“Still doubting me, Dante?” she challenged. “You know me better than that. How many times have I told you, just because you know how to play ball with demons doesn’t mean you know how to deal with witches,” she said, sauntering past him and towards the steps leading up to her mezzanine bedroom.

She stopped with one foot on the stairs to glance back at him over her shoulder with a tempting gaze that could befuddle a monk. “You _know_ we’re notorious cheaters when it comes to these things. So pick a safe-word, Romeo, you’re gonna need it,” she purred.

He was about to fire back a witty retort that was sure to irate her but then he noticed just how _tight_ her jeans were around her butt. Then the ghostly hands were back, warm, playful and far, far too damn dexterous, running up his thighs playfully. Invisible, familiar lips nipped sweetly at his earlobe before vanishing with an almost audible giggle. Thank goodness she was looking away and didn’t see how the teasing little touch had made him flinch in surprise and caused his breathing to hitch.

A firing squad couldn’t have orchestrated this barrage better. He could pretend he was unaffected till the cows came home, watch like he wasn’t going to follow—

Of course he was going to run up the stairs after her! Who was he kidding!? Especially with an ass like that on deliberate, calculated display! The way the dark, tight denim clung to her curves like it was painted on. The way the fabric bunched _just_ enough to accentuate the fullness of her derrière as she walked. The way the ass cheek bulged when she moved her weight on that side. How the damn seam going between her legs drew his eyes to the target just tantalizingly out of reach.

The little, naughty voice in the back of his head, his impulsive and reckless demon, was clamoring to just rush up the stairs, upend the witch and shove his face down there right now. His ego made a valiant effort to swat it all down but his frustration and rankled pride won out and kicked the door down. Overconfidence was going to get him killed someday, but right now it was going to get him tied up.

_“HrhnnggGODAMMIT, TESS!”_

He shouted the curse from below and then trudged up the stairs in a hurry, making a bee line for the witch with a look of determination.

“The safe word is ‘safe word’,” he snapped, staring her down. Challenge fucking accepted!

Oh yes, Dante could see Tess wanting to laugh, no doubt relishing the moment of his undoing. Fair’s fair, he supposed, he’d spent enough time making her lose her composure with his teasing and she was seizing the opportunity to let him taste some of his own medicine. He hated to admit that he was in her ball court now and she was probably about to serve him a new round.

She spun around just as he got up the stairs to her room and coyly shrugged. “Don’t complain when you need that safe word,” she chuckled. “Now, how about you lose the clothes? I mean, I could just make everything fall off but that’s no fun.”

He narrowed his eyes until she hooked her thumb under the strap of her top meaningfully. “I’ll trade you, layer for layer.”

Part of Dante wanted to indulge, to give her a show as he was fond of doing, make the Twig beg for him to disrobe quicker – but that usually worked best after he’d already riled her up beforehand. This time, he was the one worked up and the thought of her potentially using the ghostly hands to rush him made him opt for the down to business route. While maintaining the smug eye contact, he simply removed his clothes like he meant to jump her.

He was being such a goddamn alpha idiot, though he’d never admit it. Wounded pride, that’s all this was, or so he told himself. Wounded pride at being nervous to own to the role of the sub, even though he’d agreed to it. And his pride would allow no takebacks!

“I wonder how quickly you can get me tied up before I descend on that cute yet smug little ass of yours,” he said, actually managing to politely avoid making a terrible joke – a testament to his determination to cling to his ego.

Peeling off his shirt exposed tight muscles and thick pecs before Dante pulled his gloves off and then reached for his belt.

“Yes, yes, you hate going down without a fight, I know,” Tess smiled back serenely, clearly enjoying the eye-candy. She propped her elbow on the opposite palm and tapped her jawline with her finger. “So I wonder what might help…”           

Suddenly she reached out and without warning, pushed him onto her bed. Dante tried to resist the shove but he felt the spectral hands again, sliding up the back of his thighs up to his ass and a sneaky little extra zing of magic that threw him off balance. He scoffed in surprise and shot her a playful glare as she stood over him from the foot of the bed, hands on her waist.

“Remember, I'm never afraid to get hands on, Romeo,” she purred. “But I did promise, layer for layer.”

He pushed himself up to his elbows and grinned as she smoothly pulled her top off and he appreciated that cute black and purple bra that came to light in all its cheeky glory. She shook her hair off her face with one smooth flick of the neck. Then she tossed the shirt aside onto her reading chair and slowly unbuttoned her jeans before peeling them off her creamy, freckled legs, taking her time with the show and showing no regrets.

Dante fought a low, quiet whine from his throat. Darn it, he wanted more and he wanted it to escalate already, trying to steel himself against his greedy little desires for the ‘battle’ ahead. He always enjoyed this antagonizing game with the witch –nature of the beast, being half-demon and all – but if he folded now she’d have won before the games really even started!

“Heh, ya know I like my confident women,” he purred, flashing a lazy, arrogant smile.

He resisted the temptation to sit up, reach out and run rough fingers over her smooth skin as he watched her. _So_ tantalizingly close.

“See, part of me wants to sweep the legs out of under you right now and break your concentration but what’s the chances of me missing out on that sundae if I do?” he sighed.

Tess chuckled. “Pretty high, especially if I hurt myself because someone has no patience,” she said saucily and, properly disrobed, bent over her dresser to flick open a demure, familiar looking little book.

Venus Ridens, Dante recalled the title. Laughing Venus. And wasn’t he the butt of the joke right now.      

“Good things take time and you'll get yours so get comfortable, you'll be there a while,” Tess added, quickly scanning a particular page that Dante noticed was bookmarked with a bright neon pink post-it.

“How long do you plan on having me at your mercy?” he teased, and realized that he did so mostly to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. He wasn’t nervous, no, not at all, no siree, not him—

\--even though he was now certain that this trap had been meticulously planned. He irritably pushed his pants down past his hips and considered a counter-attack. Her juicy butt was pointed right at him, within reach so just as he was about to sit up and give it a pinch, another ghostly hand glided over his leg towards the inside of his thigh and just when it felt like it was going to vanish like a phantom, it gingerly cupped his crotch, over the underwear.

He wasn’t startled this time, pausing to enjoy the teasing touch but his frustration mounded when it vanished, not teasing nearly enough to satisfy him. His hips had lifted off the bed along the route of the ghostly hand, in a fruitless quest for longer contact. The calculated denial drew another quiet sigh from him, desperate for the warmth of her actual hands on him. Tess had exploited his distraction – of course she had – to get on the bed with two swaths of soft-looking cloth in a pleasing, deep wine-red color. His eyes half-closed like a cat’s as he watched her.

“Last chance to call it quits,” she whispered.

“Fat chance,” he growled with a smirk.  

She reached over with her very real hand to comb through his hair; the touch was warm, both affectionate and yet a little domineering. He actually purred like an oversized cat, leaning into the touch of her warm, delicate fingers. He felt a little tug and her hand came away with a silver strand between her fingers but he was too distracted by the unexpected elation that she finally laid her actual hands on him. It really was amazing how something so simple could steal the fight right out of him, however briefly, after all that denial.

She smiled widely. “And now your time’s up, cowboy. I’m taking you for a ride!”

He smiled lazily. “Save a horse, ride a cowboy."

Then Dante blinked. The wicked edge in her tone taunted him as soon as he’d answered and he mentally groaned at himself. In retrospect, he should’ve seen this coming. She had actually succeeded in making him drop his guard and made him play along the game he _thought_ was being dealt.

With a soft flicker and a brilliant flash of fire that turned white in a split-second, the strand of hair she’d stolen from him was consumed and the swaths of cloth came alive with magic. He caught the movement too late. Quick as you like, silk bindings slithered like serpents and seized his wrists, yanking back and up, the silk securing itself snugly around the brass bedposts of her bed. They wound into expert knots and although the grip was entirely painless, it clearly wasn’t going to slack any time soon. On pure reflex, Dante’s body tensed and he tried pulling against the ropes. Hard.

Now, he was used to all kinds of binds failing as soon as he exerted himself a little. Ropes would fray, cuffs would snap, magic would shatter, et cetera, et cetera. So he yanked against the hold for all he was worth, more out of a mild surprise than intentional effort.

The bedposts groaned politely…and that was it.

He really was bound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No half demons were hurt in the making of this fanfic. 
> 
> The same cannot be said about their pride.


	4. Chapter 4

Dante actually sounded a quizzical little noise from his throat, staring at the knots around his wrists. The hold hadn’t hurt, not any more than any other sudden yank on his limb would’ve, and although the squeeze didn’t feel particularly strong it really felt like was struggling against a grip at least as firm as his own might’ve been. His eyes spun around wildly for a moment with the merest flicker of panic before Tess’ warm presence as she straddled him eased the tension that gripped him.

“So… fun fact about this spell,” she said conversationally and reached out to softly scratch his stubble. “It uses your own might against you, creating a loop. You can tug all you want… you’ll be tugging back. Won’t come undone unless _I_ say so…or after 6 hours.”

She smiled sweetly at him. He tutted at her. She clearly was trying very hard not to giggle and pump her fist in victory.

“Just startled, babe; can’t say I saw this coming when you were talking about binds,” he said, succeeding in keeping his tone even. “Planning on tying up many demons like this?”

She happily settled her plush posterior on his thighs. “I thought fuzzy cuffs would be tacky and rope would be a little too crude. I can consider more practical applications of this later. Right now I have a handsome man tied to my bed and I think I’d rather concentrate on that.”

He grinned, eating up the compliment and just stretched lavishly, as far as the binds would allow, flexing his muscles for her benefit. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” he jested.

She giggled. “You’re hardly in a position to talk like that but you’re lucky I like you too much to be evil,” she said. “But you can always ask for mercy… or say your magic word.”

She then set about relieving him of his pants entirely, pulling the material off his legs. “Although somehow I think you’re not about to roll over.”

He grunted a little in response and tugged again sharply at his binds to test them again. Nope. He couldn’t even get the bedposts to creak a little.

With a last tug she had his pants completely off, tossing them smoothly over to the chair. His last line of defense gone as both pants and underwear were stripped off him, he was fully on display. Whatever Tess had in mind, she wanted to make sure Dante saw it all, just like they could both see the slow growing arousal stirring between them.

“Have to say, those chaps do wonders for your thighs,” she chuckled as she settled on said thighs again – Dante liked to think his lap made an excellent seat.

She made a point of settling just below his crotch so they'd both have a nice view of the 'playing field' and he growled a bit, seeing she was hovering just a hair's breadth away. And it was a lovely sight, for sure, her creamy freckled skin and the lovely contrast of her dark underwear and wine-deep red hair. Every little imperfection or scar just an extra note to the harmony.

And he was sure she was enjoying the view as well!

"Like the chaps, do ya? I’ll make a note to wear ‘em and nothing else one day,” he said and grinned saucily. “Maybe a cowboy hat, if you feel so inclined.”

Ah yes, jokes. The godsend needed to pretend he wasn’t nervous. 

“I do. They're almost like garters,” she purred. “They leave all the best parts in view.”

“Oh-ho. So, ya like what ya see, Twig,” he grinned as she studied him. 

She feigned thoughtfulness. “I'm debating whether to gag you,” she said, slowly running her hands from his abs to his chest, relishing the feel. “But then I'd miss your commentary. I'm quite fond of it, you know.”

The phantom hands spell was all well and good but this real, actual touch really hit the spot. He wanted to arch into her touch, her warm fingers were so soft over his muscles. She squeezed his pecs and caressed his abs but he was wild to have her touch him elsewhere, which she was avoiding most judiciously.

“Aw Twig, that’s sweet of you. I ‘sing’ too, if ya touch me just right,” he purred, deliberately straining against the silks a little so his arms flexed and his body twisted powerfully under the woman, a delicious display of his predicament. “But ya know I haven’t met a gag I couldn’t bite through.”

Well he was snagged alright, so he might as well ease his nerves by owning it and making a spectacle of himself. After all, his legs were still free!

Tess chuckled quietly at his effort to remain nonchalant while putting himself on shameless display. She curled her fingers and her nails just barely scraped over his flexing pecs and he whined quietly. He arched lightly into the gentle clawing, somewhat tempted to demand she push harder until it left some welts on him.

Knowing she was watching him gave him back just a little bit of control over the situation – at the very least, it asserted in his mind that he was _electing_ to submit to her, rather than being a captive. He wondered if Tess understood exactly the effect this was having on him, his nerves replaced with the quiet anger of his demonic side, rebelling at this state… but also feeling strangely intrigued. This was mutual, he reminded himself, and there was no shame in sharing his desires with Tess.

She subjected him to a very sensual massage and he thought she would just deny him for a while longer when a ghostly touch caressed his inner thighs all the way to his groin and a capricious finger traced the length of his dick ever so gently. She took it slow building his excitement and every touch was a tease and a whisper of things to come. But instead of words slipping from his lips, those phantom fingers pulled a long sigh of delight from the hunter instead.

“Tsk… Always leaving me wanting more,” he growled, flashing a grin, “I feel like we're gonna both be sore by the end of this. I guess you’ve got some plan other than havin’ me sit here lookin’ pretty?”

“Here’s what I propose,” she grinned, playfully craning herself closer over him. “I’m going to touch you, play with you, however I want… and when you think you're feeling that twinge like you're about to come, you're going to tell me… and I'm going to _stop_. And mind you, _I'll know_.”

She was so temptingly close. “Are you sure it’s a good idea Twig?” he chuckled. “Too much denial and this bad little boy might snap.”

He never doubted that she’d know alright, her ability to see auras guaranteed it – he’d be surprised if his aura didn’t look like it was close to exploding when that time came. He was no stranger to edging and the thought of being on the receiving end, with no control… it actually turned the last of his nervousness into an incredible eagerness.

“More importantly… what’s in it for me?” he added.

She leaned even closer in, her hair sliding off her shoulder to the side. “Simply put, like with all good games… there is a prize at the end.”

The way the word 'prize' rolled off her tongue clued him in that it was a little more than a tasty strawberry snack. He licked his lips.

“And what would that prize be, you wicked witch?” he asked.

She was now inches from his face. “After I'm done with you… I'll let you loose," she whispered.

Dante growled up at her lustfully. She was so close to him that he could smell the fragrance of her shampoo. She really, really was playing with fire this time, and not in the literal way she did most of the time. But from the look on her face, she _expected_ the consequences. Well, so be it. He craned his neck up, getting as close as he could to her lips but never kissing– he wanted to be teased with something he couldn't get until Tess said so. The way their lips hovered just inches apart... it was maddening. From the look of things, Tess wanted Dante to know that the first rule in their little game would be restraint and going without.

“You looking forward to getting your pretty little ass wrecked, then?” he asked, his voice a dark and husky sotto. “Because that’s what’s gonna happen if you push me around too much.”

“I’m _banking_ on it,” she replied. “A challenge is no fun without a bit of… risk. So… got any lines in the sand I need to know about?”

“What I’m down for?” he chuckled. “Babe, don’t want ya holding back. You’ve got a one-time deal having someone like me strapped to your bed.”

She allowed her hands to wander from his sides to his groin, fingers starting to massage from his abs down to the pubes and along the thighs. “You know, that sounds lovely. I like to think I know what gets you going, but you’ll let me know if something doesn’t rustle your jimmies, ok?”

He chuckled; she cared. “You got it, Twig,” he said warmly.

She leaned in as though she really would kiss him... just to peck the tip of his nose and pull back and settle onto his thighs with a small, deliberate sigh.

“You’re tense. Am I making you nervous?” 

Dante was definitely enjoying her hands all over him, the way her fingers teased his nipples as she passed over his pecs. She was careful to almost ignore the cock itself, just brushing it with her hands as she worked on him, from the thighs to the abs and down again. It was driving him nuts and he breathed out harshly. His cock bobbed under Tess taunting her every time Dante tensed his pelvic muscles, and he was fighting the urge to growl at her to pay him some goddamn attention until she finally cupped her hand around his balls, getting a hiss from him. Her fingers gingerly teased him, her thumb tracing a teasing circle before sliding away and up to his chest.

“Nervous, Twig?” he said with a tight smile. “Nope. Just frustrated, you tease!”

He could hardly look her in the eye and was loath to admit that he was feeling embarrassed and her touches were only adding fuel to this mix of frustration and embarrassment. Sure, a bit of humiliation was part of the whole experience but he was sure it wasn’t Tess’ goal.

He grunted happily at the feel of her hands on him and – at last! – the places where the attention was most sorely wanted. He shifted his legs a little under her, making her chuckle, to give her easier access and to get comfortable. A hiss escaped him when her hand finally wrapped around his cock but then slid away in happy torture. He saw plainly that she was enjoying seeing him look properly submissive, probably getting a kick out of his ego rebelling as he tried to regain some control.

His pelvis arched upwards gently to strain against her hands, growling with irritated need as her hands avoided his shaft once more.

“Tess…” he warned.

“Patience, patience…” she answered.

Then her hands circled in to the cock, one hand sliding under the balls in a hold that grew steadily firmer, just enough to provide some tension while her other hand closed around his shaft. He grunted as –Finally!!—her hand squeezed his girth softly, and then began to move up and down in a slow hypnotic motion that had his thighs rocking, trying desperately to grind for more.

Her hands felt so damn good, warm and soft and assertive—just when he thought he’d relax into her attentions, the ghostly hand under her command was back with a vengeance. In his hair; it combed through the silky locks, slowly and deliberately, _almost_ able to pull but it seemed he’d have to wait for her real hands. His throat rumbled out a purr and he almost hated how he melted at the attentions, even the slightest pull sent his scalp tingling delightfully and he leaned into the touch. Imagine if she used her real hands to pull and tug and caress--!

“Like a cat, I swear,” she chortled. “Hmm… that being said… I have the greatest urge to call you kitty cat now.”

Dante blinked. “Wha--?”  

Her words abruptly yanked him out of the reverie and he gave Tess the stink eye. Actually tying him up and making him submissive was pushing it as it was, but a pet name?!

“Careful Tess… you’re gettin’ too cocky there,” he growled. “Don't you dare. I ain't no _kitty cat_.”

Goddammit, he pouted again – and his face felt warm, almost hot and flushed. And his attempts at a threat were further undermined as her hand glided from his balls over his inner thighs, fingers curled to add a little bit of risk with the nails pressing against his skin just enough to get a sharp gasp from the demon hunter. He almost regretted she’d be unable to leave any marks on him. 

“Oh no? You’re sure purring like one,” she taunted.

Dante couldn’t think of a particularly witty retort. His full attention was now very much on the snug grip of her hand around his cock and her slow strokes getting faster, ever so subtly.

“I'm a tiger...” he breathed out half-heartedly needing the last word.

Her laughter trickled out like little bells and he twitched – not quite mocking, just amused. “A tiger! Alright… but you’re _my_ tiger, don’t forget, as long as you’re tied up.”

He was mollified enough – that pet name would do as his sulk eased away. He was a predator, darn it, even when tied up. Then her hands grew crueler by getting softer. He couldn’t help a soft whine rising from his throat as her grip around his shaft slacked to a breezy tease of loose fingers and gentle touches. Then she relinquished his cock entirely and crawled up over him to hover over his face. She licked her lips briefly. Dante could feel his cock pressing against her stomach and whined quietly, but she was unhooking her bra and tossing it aside. He adored the way her freckles dipped into her valley, every time he saw it. He wanted to just press his face against the smooth firmness of them and kiss and bite them all evening long. He wanted to kiss her hungrily and these urges were just getting worse.

Her touches were fleeting; each time she made contact, the sensations grew stronger but like always, they never lasted. And she kept upping the ante!

She hovered over him and smiled. “And I have plans on making my tiger purr.”

He grinned dumbly. What could he possibly say to that!? She braced her hands on the mattress on either side of his neck, and finally graced him with a kiss… on the chin, right below the lips. He grunted in frustration but his eyes fluttered shut. Her lips moved further down on his Adam’s apple, dragging her lips where the pulse quickened under his flushed skin. As she moved Dante suddenly was all too focused on the way her pert nipples traced little lines over his body as they ghosted over his skin. Then he rumbled happily suddenly, as her teeth lightly dragged over his throat. He arched his neck up, offering himself to her and she approved, soothing her nips with kisses and a gentle tug of the skin on the side of his neck. Her hair slipped over her shoulder, the sweet scent of her shampoo was driving him mad.

Her mouth was the most horrible tease so far and he desperately wanted her to kiss more or even just bite down harder, damn it – but denial was the name of the game here. She would give him as much as she deigned, not as much as he wanted, not yet.

As she moved further down to drop a kiss on his chest, her hands slid down his sides and finally gave his ass a nice firm squeeze. Clearly, she had _plans_ for that part of him. His hips bucked slightly, the thick muscles of his backside clenching before Dante wiggled his hips playfully as if to try and get away from the touch, earning a giggle from her. His anxieties about this little game were gone, he found himself delighted at the thought of her doing whatever she pleased with him and his body. As much as his demonic pride was complaining, this felt good. Maybe it was the way she was going about it all. So gentle, turning this massive tiger into her kitty cat with each touch and stroke, proving worthy of his trust and giving promises of mutual enjoyment.

 _Darn it, she really turned me into her kitty cat…_ he thought but smiled.

She kissed the crook of his neck, lips tickling the skin softly before her teeth nipped the same spot playfully. He could feel her soft breathing against his skin and wondered if he smelled as good to her she did to him. Maybe he smelled of leather and steel and hopefully a bit of good whiskey –

Goddamn, she was brave. He was a demon hunter and sometimes his purview included witches. Witches feared demons and here she was, tying one up and getting him frustrated with want. When she arched back to sit up straight, he whined a little. He wanted more kisses, dammit. And bites! This was just her benchmark for torment and he was already achingly hard. That mixture of harsh and soft left him wanting. He inhaled through his teeth as she wriggled her pelvis to get comfortable and planted her rump in just the right place for his cock to bump against her silky smooth panties. That felt a lot better than he’d expected, as did her hands coming to a stop over his pecs.

“Jeez, you’re a _big_ boy _,”_ she sighed, injecting a little bit of irritation in her tone. “In several ways. You’re patently ridiculous,” she added, chuckling lightly as she squeezed his pecs softly, her thumb flicking over his nipples.

Dante bit his lips and resisted a quiet gasp. He grinned hungrily up at her. “Too much of me to handle, Twig?” he asked saucily. “I was told you like big cats.”

She laughed. Such a sweet, impish laugh. “I’ll manage. Still comfortable, tiger?” she chirped.

Dante chuckled ruefully and squirmed a bit, arching up to rub his cock against her panties and growling lowly. “I’m uncomfortably horny, does that count?”

Joking a little was all he could do until the inevitable happened and she had him begging.

Her puzzling smile was warm. “It's a start,” she said, pleased with his attitude.

Her nails dug into his pecs a little, making him hiss lowly as they dragged along his skin to leave tender red marks and she pinched his nipples firmly, gradually adding pressure until he balked, then soothed them with light caresses. He wanted more; pert flesh growing sensitive with the pinching Tess was delivering to her bound plaything. Never once did the hunter flag in his arousal, hips gently rocking as Dante shamelessly left a damp spot against the witch's panties.

He let out a lazy, snarled purr at the twinge of pain only for it to ease into an equally lazy moan. “Don't be afraid to be meaner, babe. I can take it.”

The interesting thing about being able to heal so fast, was that pain rarely lasted long, and with it the pleasant numbness and the rush of endorphins were quick to follow. It made experiencing pain in the right circumstances wonderful. Exhilarating. _Arousing_.

“I have an important question, that requires honesty,” she purred. “I know how much you love pitching but how do you feel about... catching?” she asked saucily. “Because I’m thinking about opening my toybox.”

Dante groaned softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gettin' interesting now~


	5. Chapter 5

There was a moment where Dante could only grin impishly up at the saucy witch perched on his lap. He fought a shudder of lust threatening to wrack his frame and just tilted his head back, sinking into the plush pillow of her bed. He tugged at the silk restraints tying him to the bedpost with a silent whine. His hair shrouded part of his flushed features and through the silver locks his eyes looked up at Tess seductively. Trying to look as tantalizing as possible was the only way he had of holding on to what little control he had of the situation.

“Well Twig…” he said carefully, “I like to think I take as good as I give. I wouldn’t mind bottoming if someone asked nicely – and you’ve been _real_ nice about it. So… what’cha got in mind, _mistress?”_ he purred.

He was happy to see her lips twitch, the seductive smile almost cracking into a slightly flustered giggle. Evidently, she approved! She quickly schooled her features back into the exacting, dominant witch. She wiggled her hips softly, grinding against him and getting a soft grunt from the hunter. Dante reluctantly admitted that he enjoyed seeing her façade fall briefly, not because it gave him a gleam of control back but rather because of a feeling. There was something very intimate about this moment, more than just two lovers having sex. More than just feeling especially naked, tied up and at her mercy.

“Are you sure you want to be calling me that, tiger?” she purred. “Not that mind, but I might get used to it.”

He smiled thinly at her. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Twig. When I get outta these, we’ll see about reminding you that tigers ain’t pets,” he growled.  

She responded by pinching his nipples once more with a gentle but judicious twist before her hands roved on again and she slowly laid her chest over his, breasts pressing deliciously over his thick pecs. She was happy to lay on top of him like a cat and planted a teasing little hiss on his chin.

“Funny, you seen to enjoy being mine,” she taunted him playfully.

She tormented him. One little kiss on his Adam's apple and then a little bite on the side, her teeth leaving little dimples in their wake. Kiss, nip... kiss, nip... nip... _lick_. Another breathless gasp, another quiet moan, another shift of his body to lean into every small, harsh action she took, only for it to be tempered with something gentle. It left Dante wanting, a sweet tormenting burn that kept him on his toes. Her mouth felt like fire even against his warmth, and the cool air that rushed in over delicately tormented skin left it yearning for her touch again.

She travelled down, purposefully sliding her pelvis away from his to deny him even the pleasure of the silk, savoring her own fun. She cooed and sighed, teasing his ears with her secret thoughts. She squeezed his pecs again, allowing her nails to leave more welts... which she soothed with kisses right after. Her name was gently gasped out when she circled her tongue around one nipple and then he bucked as she bit it lightly, tugging it gently with her teeth then letting go with a satisfied sigh.

Every tense muscle in the half-demon's body melted with each passing second, except for the twitches of excitement she drew from the man under her. He breathed out, his toes curling briefly as his whole body was wracked with anticipation. He enjoyed this; he wasn't sure exactly why. She was being gentle and it wasn't that he thought she was afraid, but that each spike of momentary pain was followed by a touch that spoke of respect and love. She knew what power she had in this moment and yet she didn't rub it in his face.

Her hand playfully ran over his abs, her nails leaving some red marks before suddenly squeezing his balls in a soft grip, and she settled on the bed between his legs.

“Someone certainly looks happy,” she chuckled, dragging the very tips of her nails on the side of his shaft without pressing, leaving just a ticklish, vague sensation. “Oh, another question… vibration, yes or no?”

“Yeah…” Dante admitted in a moment of distraction, his tone and possibly, his aura speaking loud and clear of his emotions in that moment. “Ah… Yes. I promise not to make any… unh… ‘good vibrations’ jokes.”

“That’ll be appreciated...” she purred and bent over his groin.

He was fooled for a moment that she might put him out of his misery as her mouth approached his tip… just to grunt helplessly as all she did was leave a calculated, vague kiss on it, her lips almost puckering together to drag over the warm, tense skin before she craned away.

“Twiiiiiiig…” he whined.

She said nothing and he whined quietly when she just slid off him and maneuvered herself over to the side of the bed and reached down under its dark recesses. He craned his neck up to get a better look and was greeted with a lovely sight. She was balancing on her knees carefully, allowing her pert buttocks to rise cheekily as she reached below the bed.

Dante growled. She was a _horrible_ tease. Not only was Tess putting her juicy ass on display like that, but she was using those damn phantom hands again! He hardly realized his hands were making pathetic grabby motions because he was distracted by the feeling of a hand, the fingertips softly massaging the slick head of his erection. She was even humming lackadaisically, like she’d forgotten his presence! Her hips swayed to the tune and he growled in frustration. The touch wasn’t enough to really satisfy him and the initial shock faded soon, leaving him with an itch for her real hands – and then some.

“Tease,” he groused, feeling at war with himself – and hormones and petty demonic greed and lust were winning.

She finally pulled a round little ottoman close to the side of the bed and hefted a closed box on it. It was covered in a deliberately aged chevron pattern he was familiar with and she made sure to keep its contents out of his direct line of sight – nobody likes spoiled surprises, he assumed. He sighed when she looked over her shoulder at him and grinned, then wriggled back to her comfortable spot between his legs. She held up a sizeable clear tube with a cheerful red gel in it.

“So! Since you enjoy strawberries so much, I bet you'll like this,” she said with a mischievous smile as she wagged the tube between her fingers. “It’s edible, organic and strawberry flavored. Freshly bought.”

“For me?” he sighed. “You evil witch, you really did plan this. Well now I feel special.”

He did though, darn it.

She giggled, then flipped the tube over and thumbed the lid open. Dante was _ashamed_ of the needy whine that came out of his throat at the sweet smell that reached him. Not too strong and not at all artificial, it smelled just like a bowl of freshly-cut strawberries ready to be eaten. He clenched his teeth watching as, with perhaps a little more show than was necessary, she squeezed a tiny bead of it on her finger and tasted it, dragging her finger out of her mouth with a perfectly suggestive little pop.

” _Mmm…_ ” she purred.

Dante tugged against the silks again, hard. It was more of a sudden reflex, every instinct he had screaming ‘want, want, want!’ loud and clear and being denied. The bedpost creaked ever so slightly, unfazed.

“Goddammit, Tess, I'm gonna _bite_ whatever part of your body you put that on,” he proclaimed, and squirmed. Feet hooked themselves clumsily under the witch's ass trying to shove her off balance and thus closer to him. “Just when I thought you were being nice! C'mere!”

She just chortled and swatted at his feet lightly before squirming close to him just to force his legs more apart so he couldn't do that anymore.

“Ah-ah-ah! You don't get to order me around, tiger!” she teased. “I was at my favorite toyshop and this was on display and I actually thought you'd get a kick out of it.”

“I’m flattered,” he grumbled.

His face felt red again – so much for the ferocious tiger! Reduced to a pouting kitten.  All because of her. Oh how he longed to be loose and returned to his rightful place of predator… with her as prey.

“Gonna bite me, huh?” Tess sighed. “What I told you... that I was gonna put it on _you_?” she purred.

Dante blinked. Then grinned dumbly. “Oh. Oh, right,” he chuckled.

True to word, she turned the tube over and squeezed out some in her palm, let it warm up from her skin and closed her hand around his length, not quite squeezing, though. Just enough to let the slippery, warm gel envelop him and started to slowly pump up and down in a languid fashion, starting from the slick head to almost the root, then back up again, achingly slow and relying on the lube to add a squishy warmth to her motions.

Any quips coming to Dante’s mind were instantly lost the moment her hand enveloped his erection; warm, real and so delightfully dexterous. The half-demon threw his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes, drinking in the sensation with mouth agape. Damn, he was far more worked up than he had expected from all this teasing, body singing out in delighted satisfaction to finally get some sort of contact. He wasn’t usually _this_ sensitive. Even the lazy, slick sounds from the strokes were music to his ears. Dante couldn't even keep his hips from thrusting in time with Tess' strokes.

“T-Tess…” he mumbled. 

He couldn’t bear that the way he sounded made it seem like he’d lost all focus on anything not involving his dick right now. He wasn’t _quite_ that far gone. Yet.

“Mmm?” she purred.

“How about… we forget the whole femdom thing and just… just go straight to fucking?” he managed, craning his neck up and peeling his eyes open, aware of how hazy he must’ve looked.

It sounded like an infinitely better idea. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to admit that this was a desperate bid to put some power back in his hands and avoid the possibility of whining and begging. Because he was maybe starting to feel some pressure and suddenly the prospect of stop and go seemed like a bad idea. All his cheeky proposal got him was a breezy snicker from the witch and he watched her pinch her lower lip in her teeth, just watching him sink into a puddle of delight. She looked so… so cute. He wasn’t sure if it ruined the image of her being the lording witch over her bound demon captive… or if it made him feel better because she didn’t look like a threat and instead looked so… delicious.

 _Hello frustration, my old friend,_ he thought.

She clearly enjoyed watching his thighs buck up in earnest to enjoy the feeling of his shaft sliding against her palm and yet she wouldn’t hold him a little tighter.

“Oh? Are you suggesting that this is too much?” she inquired, suddenly slowing to a stop, to his dismay. “Are you ready, perhaps... to say uncle?”

Dante whined. “N-no--” He gulped. “Heh… you haven’t really done much, Twig!” he snapped.  

Then he flinched, violently with a sharp gasp and his backside arching off the bed when her hand came away from his dick and suddenly cupped his balls firmly. It didn't hurt, not one bit, but the suddenness and the spark of arousal it caused caught him utterly unprepared. His cock bobbed uneasily as he flinched and twitched with longing.

Her voice was velvet on ice. “I think you're forgetting yourself here, little tiger. Tsk, tsk, tsk... you just want to get off, but what about _my_ pleasure?”

He swallowed hard then managed a cocky grin. “Geez… busting my balls here…”

She leaned over him while her hand, slick with the aromatic lube, rolled her captives slowly and gently across her palm. “You're quite literally in my hands here, tiger... but I suppose if I'm boring you, I could indeed skip straight to fucking. _You_.”

That looming threat sent a shock down his spine. “…I gotta admit, this is really… really hot,” he sighed, almost in a whisper. This would’ve been alluring even if he had been able to free himself, but the fact that he was at her mercy just made it feel all the better.

She laughed and her slick hand dove under the balls; his hips suddenly lifted in response to the fingers delving between his ass cheeks, the tight ring clenching reflexively – then nothing. Dante growled helplessly, Tess rolled her hips off to the side of the bed, taking her daring fingers with her, leaving Dante to groan in annoyance that he was being teased so damn easily. Want was growing again fueled like a fire made to blaze. He stared as Tess stood up, right where he could watch and slowly peeled her panties off, the silk between her legs resisting briefly before coming away a damn mess. She bent over languidly, daintily bending a knee to pluck the delicate underwear off and tossed it aside. Then she stretched, arms over her head with her fingers knitted together. She followed that up by running her hands down her sides languidly caressing the very curves Dante wanted to touch so damn much right now and then… then she dipped her fingers gently between her legs with a long, luxurious sigh.

Dante wanted to yell; just watching her disrobe like that, the confirmation of her arousal in scent and sight and that blatant tease was getting too much for the poor half-demon and he felt damn sorry for himself.

Normally this was the part where he’d pin her to the bed and run his hands all over her, enjoying her presence and kisses and – damn right, he’d set upon her like a starved man at a feast! He pathetically reached out with his foot to try and touch her anywhere intimate, starved for physical contact, wanting more than the meager scraps Tess provided him with so far. She easily avoided him.

He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t. He wanted to bite his own tongue off before he did it, but in the end he blurted it out with a mixture of shame, frustration and irritation.

“Tess… Tess, _please_ ,” he whined. “For fuck’s sake…”

 _Tigers don’t beg,_ he thought. _But then again_ , _tigers don’t get tied up by cute witches and teased to the point of insanity._

She ignored him, probably the cruelest thing she could do to him at the time, instead delving into the ‘toybox’ again. He watched her rummage around, his eyes zeroing in on her bare backside and feeling like his loins were on fire. She turned around with a strap-on and a violet vibrator that he was all too familiar with. He should, he’d used it often enough on her to a devastating effect. It was unassuming, silky and oh-so-good at shaking things up. She slid the vibrator into the strap-on’s slot and fiddled around with it to secure it.

“You know, I was debating on whether I should use my favorite vibrator on you,” she said casually. “But then again, you _are_ my favorite tiger.” 

Dante growled. His efforts were in vain. “Lucky me,” he huffed, body hungry and anticipating pleasure or pain or a mix of both. He wanted to _feel_ , dammit.

She climbed back onto the bed, bending over him just enough to kiss the tip of his nose again, then settled between his legs again.

“Now… _up_ ,” she commanded, patting his thighs.

Dante grumbled silently, but he complied, lifting his hips a bit and Tess shifted her folded knees under them, letting him rest his thighs on hers.

“So… planning to leave me sore and unable to sit for a day?” he managed, cheekily.

She laughed and picked up the lube. “I’m an ambitious gal, Dante, but I’ll be satisfied with you asking for mercy. I do like treating people’s asses the way I expect them to treat mine.” 

“Ouch, noted,” he scoffed, all too aware she was having a laugh at his expense.

He heard the vibrator start to hum lowly and even happily. Just from the sound he knew she’d set it to a medium sort of vibe and she saw her sigh and squirm. He growled, he could tell she was enjoying the feeling of the vibrations travelling through her body with the strap-on flush against her and he was horribly, horribly jealous – that he wasn’t the one causing that reaction and that he wasn’t feeling that himself!

 _Jeez I sound like a kid…_ he groaned internally.

The tip of the vibrator inched forward and he flinched with a groan as it bumped onto his ass, then retreated in the same slow fashion. He grunted, resenting this ruthless, ever-closing cycle that brought it closer to the 'intended target' with every moment but _just wouldn’t get it over with_. The slick silicone felt almost velvety, just like her hand closing around his cock again, full of tension and she again let her grip stay loose and yet attentive with slow strokes.

She was driving him nuts. “Let's see if we can't make you purr a little...” she said, almost menacingly and licked her lips briefly.

“You’re gonna have to work for it, babe," Dante uttered as she started her cheeky teasing. “I’m not… some damn cat--!”

But the hunter's cocky expression slowly melted away as he focused on the sensations ghosting over his loins. He had let his eyes fall shut, so desperate to drink in as much of the gentle pleasure being given. Tess might not have gotten a purr out of him yet but she certainly got a needy groan from his throat when her hand closed around his length again. Dante rocked his hips shamelessly, both trying to fuck the loose grip around his cock, and squirm close to the prodding strap-on so they could hit their mark already. He wanted some hard, immediate release, darn it.

Which is why of course she stopped. Again. 

The frustration was building, it was clearly evident in how the man pulled on his restraints, and Dante worried that if he was this needy now, what the heck would he do Tess brought him to the very edge? All he could think about was how lucky he was they weren't doing this after one of his jobs; he was always so damn worked up after those.

He groaned. “You're really aiming for a sore ass after this, you know that?”

“Hopefully as sore as I can leave yours, tiger,” she chuckled. “But you're gonna have to work for it,” she said with a slightly wicked grin.

God, he hated it when she threw his words back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost feel sorry for him. 
> 
> C: Almost.


	6. Chapter 6

Dante was lost to the feeling of her hand stroking his length while the vibrator gently massaged his loins, inches away from his ass. He peeled an eye open and caught Tess smiling as she watched him sink back into her pillows. Damn witch must’ve enjoyed the needy noises rumbling out of him. Surely, there's an underrated pleasure to just watching someone enjoy themselves that isn't discussed often enough and he was sure that she savored it. If nothing else, she must’ve had fun watching his carefully crafted façade of cocksure ego melt away.

Her strokes were languid and luxurious along his length, her thumb tracing carefully planned circles and waves in the slick surface of the warming, sweet lubrication. She replenished the layer of velvety gel on her hands a few times, before her hand glided along the inner thigh. He was suddenly all to alive to what she was doing and with the vibrator titillating the skin just above, she aligned her thumb over the 'target' and softly pressed the lubed digit against it, enough to create some tension.

Dante chewed on his lower lip like a nervous twitch, trying to avoid being excessively vocal. Usually he had no issues with it, but considering the context, the neediness Tess had brought out in him, the way he simply relished the torment – his pride wouldn't allow it; because Dante wanted to ask for more. That was dangerous territory there. That was too close to begging and he’d already gotten started on that. But goddamn, did he want to beg again.

“Holy shit…” he blurted – and there was the purr.

His head lolled back into the pillow when her thumb pressed against the tight ring of flesh more firmly, Dante's body reflexively tensing. How he wanted to just push back on the digit right now. The vibrations humming through his perineum and the pressure of Tess' thumb weren’t enough. They were just more teasing, like everything else.

The hunter huffed with a knitting of his brow in frustration and one pale eye cracked open to watch the redhead. “Enjoying yourself?” he said irritably.

He was sure that his look spoke volumes. He was flushed in the face, his body felt body warmer than usual with arousal, and even the swollen helm of his erection was turning a rich color with all the blood flowing to the rigid flesh. Tess hardly had to add additional lube with how freely Dante seemed to drip and her hand glided easily over him.

She smiled wider at the sight of him. "Very," she breathed.

Her thumb traced little circles over the ring, almost threatening to push in while her other hand finally gave his cock a heartier squeeze that made him hiss and buck up against it.  She swept her hand over the tip, mixing the pre with the lube and she rubbed her thumb over the tip gently, arching her digit so that the nail barely grazed the tense skin, making him huff. She slid her hand down again, around the testicles, taut with anticipation.

“Deep breath, tiger,” she whispered and finally slowly pushed her thumb through the ring of warm flesh.

Dante saw her watching him for any discomfort but all he could do was blurt out a stupid moan and buck against her, pushing her thumb further through his tight ass. That felt so irritatingly good, especially with the soft vibrations from the toy. He groaned and his hips tensed, pushing up to thrust into her grip hungrily.

In fact, this was all getting too much for him and he was loath to admit it. His thighs were getting sore with tension and his cock throbbed painfully. The pressure was just maddening. He was so achingly close to sweet, euphoric relief but he still wanted more! He couldn’t stand just blowing his stack from a little foreplay.

“T-Tess…” he groaned.

She expertly feigned distraction. “Mmm?”

His brow was knitted in damn near agony. “So I… I might…have to…”

He trailed off in a loud groan as her hand stroked him in a particular spot near the tip of his dick that always made him flinch in pleasure as her thumb dug deeper in him, curled and pressed a particular spot _just right._

“You might have to… what, exactly?” she asked innocently. “Should I sto—“

“Goddammit, Twig just—just fuck me already!!” he barked, surprising even himself.

Tess was taken aback for a moment, her hands both coming to a stop and then chuckled gently. “Oh dear, that bad?”

“P-Please—“ he managed.

“Aww… my poor tiger,” she said sweetly. “I was gonna torment you some more but you’re asking so politely.”

He choked out a whine when her hand let go of his cock momentarily and her thumb slipped out of him, causing him to flinch. He could only stare at the ceiling for a few moments, trying to remind himself the pace at which he ought to be breathing. He felt rather than saw her move around, squirming closer to him until the soft vibrator pushed against his balls and caused him to shudder violently from the sensation, still amazed at his own damn sensitivity. He managed to look up to watch her applying a copious amount of lube onto the vibrator. Then she grabbed his waist with both hands and he felt her hips push forward.

“God…damn…” he groaned as the silky, slippery tip of the vibrator pressed against the tight ring of his ass.

“Relax…” she reminded him gently, pushing forward.

The vibrator penetrated him surprisingly easily and he bit back a moan. It was fairly average for size but the silicone was excellently molded and Dante groaned because he could feel every little bump and dip in the texture. No wonder she liked this one. He managed to brace his feet onto the mattress and strain against the silk ribbons binding him to gain some leverage, enough to move. He pushed against her, further driving the vibrator in, a long, satisfied grunt rumbling out of him.

“Good boy,” Tess purred, wrapping her hand around his dick again. “Pace yourself…”

It was hard to do so with her hand stroking him in turn with the first slow thrusts. He bit down on his lip and breathed out tensely, wriggling a little to push against her thrusts and at the same time trying to buck his thighs upwards into her slow strokes, desperately wanting her to speed up, but she wouldn’t. No, she took it nice and slow and it was making him want to yell in frustration. The teasingly cool feel of a fresh application of lube made him blurt out a moan and his bucking became more urgent. His legs began to ache slightly. So he groaned happily when she seemingly took pity on him and started to stroke him faster, then thrust a little faster.

The gentle vibrations of the toy felt so damn good, humming up his spine and every thrust that pushed against his prostate sent a happy shiver through him.

“F-Fuck—“ he uttered.

He vaguely heard her quiet sigh and was far too focused on the sensations now, his cock throbbed painfully in her grip and he was pretty sure that he was about to make a complete mess due to all that denial. He strained against the silk binds and almost knocked his head against the bedboard from a sudden flinch brought about from a combination of her squeezing his dick gently and a particularly deep thrust. He grit his teeth, trying to hold on to prolong the pleasure but he was starting to lose the will to hold out. He wanted more but he wanted release above that.

She must have been watching him, she must have seen something in his aura – perhaps a violent twist, a sudden flicker before it expanded – that let her know he was about to peak. She suddenly stopped dead and Dante cried out in frustration while he writhed helplessly, desperate to push against her.

“Aw no, come on—!!”

“Ah, ah, we had an agreement…” Tess chirped.

“Fucking hell, Twig!!”

She smiled wickedly at him. “That’s no way to speak to your mistress, tiger. You better ask nicely if you want to come.”

Dante growled, actually growled, a bit of bestial indignation bubbling up in him. But the way she said that… The growl turned into a frustrated whine and he huffed, then gulped and finally surrendered to the aching fire in his loins. And then he smirked. He smirked because _she did it_ and because he honest-to-god couldn’t fault her for it. He doubted anyone else could’ve, anyway.

“Can I please… come now, mistress?” he asked quietly.

“You certainly can.”

She resumed her thrusts and her strokes again, her warm hand coaxing him along as his pulse pounded in his ears. He felt her hand move suddenly, wrapping around the tip just as he shut his eyes, his thighs bucked upwards and he shouted incoherently when he came undone. God it felt _good._ His seed splattered against her hand which wisely kept the spread to a minimum, and he quietly groaned in embarrassment at the sheer volume and force. His body was tense like a coiled spring for a few seconds, his thighs twitching with every gush, until he crested his climax before he finally was able to relax into the inviting mattress. A shuddered breath escaped him and he felt so euphoric it made him a little dizzy. He barely heard or felt Tess turn off the vibrator and gently pull it out of him, then reach over to the toybox to retrieve something to wipe her hands with.

“Are you okay there, tiger?” she asked with a gentle sort of amusement.

He managed a tired, rueful chuckle. “I might… need a moment here, Twig,” he uttered.

“Yay,” she giggled.

His arms felt like lead. His legs wouldn’t move. His thighs were on fire. And he couldn’t care less, still riding an amazing high of the afterglow. He just stared up at the ceiling, slightly dazed with a dumb smile etched on his face. Tess bent into his view from the side, grinning.

“Gosh you look so dorky,” she chuckled and lay down beside him, arms folded over his chest.

He said nothing for a while, just enjoying the feeling of riding the aftermath of a truly impressive climax and then breathed out deeply. “…Damn,” he said.

Tess chuckled. “Feelin’ ok?”

He sighed. “Better than I care to admit,” he scoffed. “You’re evil.”

He craned his neck up to catch her grinning. “I’m glad you had fun,” she said. 

“So… don’t suppose you’ll let me loose now?” he asked, tugging at his restraints.

She smiled wider. “Oh no. Now it’s round two.”

He blurted a laugh. “What else do you plan on doing to me, woman?” he said, gripping his binds and flexing his arms and chest muscles.

Dante was playing coy, but he was actually eager to know what she had in mind for this round two – after all, she’d promised to cut him loose. Surely, if he knew her at all… she’d make sure he was wound up before she did.

“Hopefully lots of awful things to make you beg again,” she said teasingly and brushed her fingertip against his nose. “You game?”

He smiled tartly at her and puckered his lips a little as her finger brushed over them after his nose. “Only if I can get a kiss, mistress,” he purred. “I mean, I’ve been a good tiger, haven’t I?”

Tess pursed her lips at him momentarily but then smiled. “Yeah, I suppose you have,” she chuckled and bracing her arms against the mattress, stooped down to kiss him.

He whined quietly at the sweet smell of her shampoo, her hair cascading off her shoulder in a soft torrent. Her lips just barely brushed against his and she motioned as if to pull away, making him crane his neck up in a vain effort to reach her, but then she kissed him properly. She tasted so good and finally getting a little bit of proper contact was exciting. Her lips were warm and soft and he hummed quietly as she tugged his lower lip between her teeth playfully. She allowed her tongue to tease his for a bit before she sat back up, grinning at him.

“Now then…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Score is Tess 1, Dante 0 so far. :D


	7. Chapter 7

Dante was still sort of hazy from euphoria as he watched her move, pushing away from him and then turning her back at him. Suddenly though, every nerve and all his senses were jostled into perfect alertness when he realized she was straddling him again.

He breathed out impatiently when her perfect, plush ass settled practically on his chest and he balled his fists, wrists aching from the sudden yank his arms gave involuntarily. He wanted to grab and squeeze that tempting, freckled butt like nobody’s business. He gulped; sometimes he _really_ hated his enhanced senses. She smelled _so good_ right then, a mix of her own scent, her perspiration and her arousal – it was doing a number on him, knowing she was as turned on as he had been and yet kept it all in under a cool mask of an unyielding mistress.

“Twig, what’re you planning…?” he purred, watching her red hair ripple as she squirmed a little before she reached for something in the ‘toybox’ again.

“Just planning to have a bit of fun…” she said airily.

She was holding something now and Dante heard the familiar click of the lube tube being opened again. The scent of fresh strawberries tickled his nose and he stiffened, hoping she intended to resume her sweet tortures – he already felt his dick twitching in response to the delicious scent of the witch using him as a seat…

However, instead of her hand wrapping around his cock, he felt her lean forward, her rounded ass rising off his chest, then gulped at the sight of her spread legs revealing her soaked core. He couldn’t help licking his lips, thinking of all the things he _would_ have been doing to her if he wasn’t tied up like this. All the things he’d _do_ as soon as she untied him. He tensed at the sound of her teasing sigh and watched raptly as her arms moved in a way that indicated she was running her hands along her skin; the way _he_ wanted to be doing. She cooed and he imagined her cupping and massaging her pert little handfuls and tweaking the nipples. A soft whine caught in his throat, thinking just how much he wanted to be doing that himself.

“Twig...” he growled.

Tess drawled out a lazy reply, glancing at him over her shoulder with a saucy look. “Mm?”

“I thought you were gonna give me some damn attention,” he muttered, eyes fixed on the way her hips cocked just a bit.

She laughed airily. “Oh no,” she said. “I gave you plenty of attention, it’s my turn now. You get to _watch.”_

The way she said that word hammered him in the chest. If that was her plan, he dreaded it. Her previous torments were bad, but this might become worse. Now, Dante loved being the center of attention and he loved showing off, both in battle and in bed to his partners. But being forced to sit back and just watch her pleasure herself without being able to touch and kiss and bite… that would _really_ be torture. He was a hedonist, deep down, being half-demon, so being denied of what he wanted as it dangled right in front of him like that was tantamount to sin.

“Twig, that’s just cruel,” he said weakly.

“Good,” was all Tess said.

He watched her hand finally slip down between her legs; her delicate fingers glided over puffed, wet folds expertly. She teased herself with confident, circular motions and he heard her sweet sigh as her fingers caressed a particular spot. Her fingers parted her lips slowly, exploring them languidly and he just found himself biting his lip. He really couldn’t even think of something clever to say now, so engrossed in watching her. Her hand moved away for a moment and she fidgeted. When her hand returned, Dante choked back a low whine; the smell of strawberries was strong now and he saw her fingers coated in the rosy lube, spreading it judiciously over her folds and the witch moaned quietly, her thighs twitching briefly.

The mixed scent of the sweet strawberries and her evident arousal made him shiver; he felt his mouth water, like he was expecting a sumptuous feast. His instincts inevitably reared their head, demanding a bite. Or two. Or _more_. He should be having that delectable treat, damn it! Especially when it was so blatantly on display just for him! Her fingers continued their familiar exploration and she moaned softly as they dipped into her core. He saw how wet she was and how her fingers moved and ground his teeth. He wanted to kiss her hand and suck on those fingers, covered in the sweet lube and her arousal.

He watched her play with herself slowly and methodically, her hips squirming and shivering from the pleasure, with soft little moans punctuating her enjoyment. He breathed in sharply through his teeth because of the way her hips swayed from side to side slowly while she continued. It was unbelievably fascinating and arousing to watch and he occasionally caught his hips bucking upwards softly; his cock perked up as he watched and he felt it bob and twitch against his stomach. He grunted irritably. At least she could give him some goddamn attention too but she blissfully ignored him, even though he was dead certain she was watching him get more and more turned on.

“Goddammit, Twig,” he snapped. “You can’t just have me watch and do nothing…”

“Oh, you think so?” she purred in response. “I’m sure you’re… enjoying the view.”

That hitch in her voice as her fingers dug into her core really got to him. She was having fun without him, dammit! He felt so much like a little kid who has to watch another little kid enjoy an ice-cream and yet can’t have his own. It drove him nuts. He watched two of her fingers plunge in her core greedily and heard his teeth creak as his jaw clenched. She arched her back and her pert butt moved a little upwards, giving him a better view of ‘the proceedings’. His cock throbbed irritably and he huffed. He was actually getting kinda mad now, unable to do anything. In an almost petty gesture, he braced his feet against the mattress and tried to push his hips upwards with a frustrated grunt to annoy her and get her to focus on his dick. She just laughed and stopped playing with herself just long enough to slap his thigh playfully. He flopped back on the mattress with a half-defeated growl.

“Twig, c’mon, that’s not fair!!” he snarled before he could stop himself. “Just lyin’ here is stupid!”

She giggled and just resumed pleasuring herself. She actually bent forward, bracing her arm against the mattress and her hair cascaded off her shoulder. Dante’s breath caught in his throat; some of her hair tickled his dick and made him moan a bit, realizing how close to it she was now hovering and _still_ wouldn’t put him out of his misery.

“Getting bored, tiger?” she asked.

“As much as I love the view, _very_ ,” he snapped.

She tutted with a pitiful tone. “Aw… well then… would you like to help?” she purred.

He went very still. The way she said that made him want to agree enthusiastically but he absolutely couldn’t tip his hand like that.

“And… what if I did?” he asked back.

“Ah-ah-ah, you don’t get to play that trick, tiger. Yes or no?” she insisted, stopping her toying.

Dante stared at how delicious her dripping core looked now. “…Yes.”

“Gonna put that big dumb mouth of yours to good use?” she pressed, shifting her weight and straightening her back.

He licked his lips as they stretched into a slow smile. “Yes.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “Yes… what?”

He fought back a growl. She was really getting to him now and knowing she probably _wanted_ him frustrated like this was just making it worse. But he was still smirking because honestly, her impertinence was part of why he loved these games they played.

“Yes, _mistress,”_ he ground out.

“Good tiger,” she sighed.

Dante scoffed a little and shook his head at himself. Then he started paying rapt attention as Tess backed up a bit and then bit his lip when her core came into perfect view just over his face. Her scent, mixed with strawberries, was stronger than ever and he gulped. She was so wet that a dollop of it dripped on his chest and he almost whined with want. He watched her fingers dig in to the puffy lips and spread them, giving him an excellent look of the pink, slick core.

“Remember, tiger, you do a good job and I’ll give you a treat,” she teased.

“Hey you know me, I’m all about customer satisfaction,” he jested.

He almost groaned happily when his mouth finally made contact. He certainly felt his cock give an almost painful jolt of excitement. His throat rumbled out a pleased moan and he shut his eyes; she sure tasted as good as she smelled. He dug his tongue in, finding her weak spots and listening for her reactions. She yelped suddenly and her hips twitched as his lips closed around her clit and sucked it gently. A careful flick of the tongue made her gasp and rock backwards a bit, pressing against him and he chuckled quietly in satisfaction.

“G-good,” she hummed.

He purred lowly and craned his neck as much as he could to reach further and traced her lower lips greedily, even biting her softly on occasion, making sure to keep her on her toes. She just sighed and rocked her hips against him hypnotically. He clenched and opened his fists irritably, wanting desperately to get his hands involved. He squeezed the sensitive little nub between his teeth, getting a soft moan out of her. He almost jumped up when her hand finally closed around his cock and he groaned quietly, the vibrations travelling along his tongue to make her shiver.

“Nnh… I think your performance does warrant a bit of a reward…” she purred.

 _Finally!!_ he thought, frustrated, but just grunted affirmatively.

His hips bucked eagerly upwards to grind against her warm hand, cock throbbing impatiently. Her hand, slick with lube and her juices, glided up and down his length easily, coaxing little grunts out of him. She squeezed a little harder and pressed her butt against his face more firmly and he realized his pace had been flagging.

“Hey now, just… just because you’re doing good doesn’t mean you… should rest on your laurels,” she admonished.

Dante obediently resumed his ministrations, pressing his tongue to her slick folds. He fought back a smile at the feeling of her juices running down his chin and along his cheeks as she ground against him. He boldly pushed his tongue in her, relishing at the thick, pliable walls. Then he suddenly felt her lips on his cock and almost bucked his ass off the mattress in surprise. He groaned and slowed what he was doing, but hurriedly resumed, afraid she’d stop. He must’ve been doing a good job because her mouth continued its sweet torture. He felt the warm, wet softness envelop his tip and a needy whine rose from his chest.

She sucked him slowly and methodically, taking him halfway and he huffed at the sweet, warm feeling of her mouth. His hips rocked up slowly in search for more of the same and he dearly wished he could use his hands to _really_ make her feel good. Her tongue rolled all around his tip before she glommed his length once more, wresting a deep moan from the hunter that was muffled by her shivering folds pressing down again. He thought she must have been pretty damn bothered by now and just barely holding out.

Just as he contemplated that, she suddenly relinquished him, much to his irritation and then promptly pushed off him with a sigh. He finally opened his eyes and blinked as she turned around, straddling him once more. He was greeted with a lovely sight; she was flushed, a red blush suffusing her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, spreading to her shoulders and giving her a sultry, delectable glow. She grinned down at him as she settled over his thighs again and rubbed his sensitive tip with her finger.

“W-well now,” she managed, breathing deeply. “That was very good, tiger.”

He licked his lips, enjoying the flavor of the juices stuck to his face. “I do know how to run my mouth,” he said saucily. “Gonna leave me blue-balled now?”

“Not quite yet…” Tess purred.

He found his lip getting caught between his teeth as she crawled over him and her core hovered over his pert, throbbing cock. He inhaled through his teeth and his hips just kind of automatically bobbed upwards, desperate for that prize dripping so tantalizingly close over him. She carefully lowered herself over him, his tip brushing against her core and making him groan. He desperately hoped that she might take him… but instead he began to grind against him slowly, trapping his cock between his stomach and her slick folds. She rubbed against him torturously slow, tormenting both of them if her stifled moans were any indication.

Dante inhaled sharply through his teeth and his arms flinched suddenly, tensing and causing the bedboard to creak dangerously. He opened and closed his fists impotently, just wild to grab her and pin her down onto the mattress and just _fuck_ her senseless.

“Teeeess…” he whined as he watched her hips move back and forth in a slow, undulating rhythm.

She had a wicked little smile on her face and he watched her lower lip roll and catch at her teeth suggestively when she moaned quietly. Her body suddenly tensed and he felt her shiver. Desperate for something more, he tried to arch up against her, succeeding only in making her yelp and stand still, shaking. She pulled off him and Dante uttered a frustrated shout, grabbing at the silk swaths wrapped around his wrists to try and sit up. She rolled over and they stared each other down. Her face was flushed and not quite fixed in a cool, exacting look and he was quite sure by now that his eyes were red because his teeth felt sharp and his fingers were sore where they had started to swell into claws—

“I think… we can both agree we’re rather worked up…” she panted.

He just grunted vaguely in agreement. His loins were on fire and every little movement just made him flinch because his dick twitched and throbbed with desire, pre dripping off him in thick drops.

“Tess…” he huffed. “For the love of… just…”

“Yes,” she agreed hastily. “Are you good?”

He wasn’t sure. His eyebrow twitched at the question. Deep in his chest, in his head, the instincts of the demon were aflame with frustration and want and pettiness and he wasn’t completely, entirely sure he’d master them by the time she let him loose. But he wanted to get loose so, _so_ very badly.  

“I will be,” he ground out.

 Tess took a deep breath and smiled wryly at him. “Well tiger… ya earned it.”

All she did was flick her wrist. The silken shackles around his wrists shivered and then loosened and then dropped off his arms with a whisper. He was loose.

And boy, was he pent up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might wanna pray for Tess now. 
> 
> Just sayin.


	8. Chapter 8

If Dante had asked himself several minutes ago, what the first thing he’d do upon release was, he’d likely say that he’d pin Tess to the bed and fuck her brains out.

What he did instead was sit up, flex his arms, rub his wrists and _then_ pushed her into the bed, holding her down with his bulk and pinning her arms to the mattress and did something he found to have a much, much greater need for. He craned his neck down and planted his mouth on hers, kissing greedily and demandingly. His lips forced hers apart and he searched for her tongue with his. He wound his fingers into her hair, fist balling around a handful in frustration for a moment. Her mouth was warm and he could taste himself and the faint trace of strawberry over her lips.

A groan thrummed out of his chest and he ran his free hand down her side before he finally let her breathe and nipped her lower lip, tugging gently. She stifled a little moan and he kissed along her chin to her throat. She cooed quietly at his stubble grazing her as he ran his mouth over the scar around her neck. She mewled and shrugged her shoulders but he just blithely kissed all along the scar at his leisure. He pressed his body down against hers, worming his hands between her back and the mattress in a greedy, possessive embrace. His hands found her ass and cupped both cheeks heartily – god it felt better than he remembered, soft and pliable in his hands. Being denied the pleasure of handling it for so long really made him appreciate it all the more.

He needed her right now but he also wanted to kiss and caress every inch of her after watching her put him through sweet, sweet hell so expertly and wickedly.

“Goddammit…” he muttered, kissing the valley between her breasts. “You realize… you’ve made me pretty pissed, yeah?”

“It’s… an acceptable risk,” she managed to say before he squeezed a nipple between his teeth and made her buck against him with a moan.

He so, so wanted to enjoy kissing and touching her more but his need was now aching. He was back in control and he felt the urge to really drive the point home. He ran his hands up and down her thighs before pulling her against him with a hearty tug as he straightened up. Breathing hard and fighting away the tug of his instincts, he grabbed hold of her thighs, sighing as his throbbing cock rested momentarily against her. He would’ve liked to have a bit of witty repartee for her but his mind was just blank. He forced himself in her, wrenching a deep, satisfied groan out of his chest. Tess mewled and arched her pelvis, almost bucking out of his hold but Dante’s grip was firm. He took a brief moment to master himself and then just… didn’t.

His hips moved hard and with purpose and he failed to stay upright, just crumbling down over her, holding himself up on his elbow as his hand wound in her hair again. He slid his other hand down her leg and grabbed her ass. He grunted quietly when her arms came up and he felt her fingers in his hair. They combed through his silvery locks and then her fingers closed around a fistful of it, tugging as she held on. He kissed her again, mouth quickly trailing away to settle on the crook of her neck. He felt her pulse, quick and hard as he thrust faster and harder and couldn’t help himself.

He kissed her skin before biting her softly, groaning at her skin’s sweet and slightly salty taste. His teeth were sharp and he was careful not to bite down too hard but inevitably, he drew some blood, anxious to get back his own, to establish that he was in charge now and to assert that she was his. It was stupid, but it felt _so good_ to do it, he thought as he licked the beads of blood left behind and shuddered at the taste. Witch blood, rich and sweet and a little bit spicy – sometimes it scared him how good it tasted. He didn’t stop; her hands were in his hair and raking across his back as every thrust drew another wet moan from her.

He shuddered; her walls were thick and snug around him, slick and soft and inviting. He tried to exercise a bit of restraint for her sake, but in the end he nipped her again and again, eager to see the witch covered in his marks. Her legs rubbed on either side of him and he lavished her thighs with a rough but loving caress, happy to dig his fingers in, using the opportunity to get a better hold of her, because now his thrusting turned urgent and needy. He braced on his elbow to avoid crushing her, but his face was firmly tucked into the crook of her neck, kissing and licking her skin, listening to her mounting moans of delight. His thighs ached. He felt her body spasm and her arms tightened abruptly around his neck, her hand tightened around a fistful of his hair, pulling on it and wrenching a deep moan from him. She peaked, her walls squeezed around him and she stifled a scream, just for Dante to lift her ass off the mattress and subject her to a few slower, deep thrusts before he came as well.

He exhaled sharply through his teeth and a deep, bestial growl of satisfaction rumbled out of him, starting in his chest and rising through his throat. The reverberation of it travelled through her and Tess squeaked at the force of it shaking her frame. He relaxed against her slowly, thighs twitching momentarily from the stress. Her shaky breathing in his ear kept him from drifting into a haze of euphoria. He needed a moment to regroup but he was far from done with her.

_I’m not letting her just get away with tying me up!_

Still, he wrapped his arms around her. It felt good to be able to do so after the denial. Besides, it gave him time to contemplate the next step of his plan while she caught her breath and he grinned evily as the idea blossomed in his head. She _had_ left her toybox open, after all…

Her fingers were tracing lazy circles in his hair and on his back when he moved, sitting up, and grabbed both her wrists in his hand. She froze and stared up at him with a shaky smile.

“Uh… so about what we said…” she said uncertainly, seeming to shrink a bit under his wide, wolfish smile.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he admonished wickedly. “Your time as ‘mistress’ ran out when you let me loose, Twig. I did warn ya, that I was gonna get back at you when you let me loose.”

“We~ell…” she sputtered as he reached over and rummaged around her toybox.

He chuckled. “You really hang out at the shops too much, Twig, you’re spoilin’ me for choice here.”

“You’re one to talk, you know what _you_ spend all your money on!” she fired back. “Just because I get myself a little something every other month…”  

“I never said I don’t appreciate your eclectic taste, Twig” he joked, selecting a fancy, deep maroon vibrator from her box, a variation on the violet one she used on him earlier. “You _did_ pick up that strawberry lube and I _do_ recall promising I’d bite whatever bit of you it was on.”

She eyed the vibrator with a rather shaky, sidelong look and awkwardly shut her legs.

“Oh-ho no, no, no,” he scoffed. “You’re not playing coy with me after what ya did.”

It was easy enough to push his knee between her thighs as he grabbed one of the silk ribbons she’d used to tie him up earlier and bound her wrists together in a loose knot. He wasn’t interested in completely dominating and tying her up right now, he just wanted to keep her hands away from her crotch.

“Payback’s a bitch, huh,” she muttered ruefully.

“You know it,” he said and gave her a kiss, nibbling her lips softly.

He snagged the lube bottle from where it lay and thumbed it open, then smiled appreciatively. This was quality stuff. He squeezed a generous dollop over her core, making her jump from the contact of the cooled fluid over her. His fingers glided over the area, spreading it easily and rubbing her clit to make her squirm and mumble helplessly. He grinned as her squirming increased with his attentions, caressing her folds sweetly and spreading the lube along before he slid two fingers in her core. It made her moan and fidget, twisting her body as if trying to squirm away but he kept her in place, pushing her wrists into the bed over her head.

“Oh so you can dish it out but you can’t take it, babe?” he purred, watching her writhe as he moved his fingers slowly.

He grinned at the way her walls clenched around them and thrust slowly, smiling more broadly at her core oozing a heady mix of her juices and his seed. He grabbed the vibrator and turned the toy on. She whined when the softly buzzing toy approached her core and then arched her pelvis off the mattress with a stifled cry when he bumped her sensitive folds with it. He let go of her wrists and used it to stimulate her, rubbing it along her labia in a deliberate rocking motion through the lube. She mewled and thrust her pelvis against it, clearly wishing for more direct caressing.

He pushed two of his fingers back in her, deep and purposeful, using the vibrator with his other hand to apply gentle pressure on her clit. The effect was immediate, wrenching a startled cry from the ginger and a sudden flinch that became a desperate twisting. His grin widened as he watched her squirm, his fingers pumping slowly as he held the vibrator in place with his other hand, massaging her clitoris in slow, lazy circles.

Her moans got louder and more desperate as his fingers sped up and then slowed, gradually building up a head of torment in the ginger.

“My, my, someone’s enjoying herself,” he purred.

He licked his lips. He was feeling aroused again, watching her surrender so eagerly to his teasing. It was just as well that he had a lovely idea what to do with her. She finally peaked with a loud scream, her whole body tensing and her legs trying to shut over his hands. Her walls constricted around his fingers and he sighed, withdrawing the vibrator and waiting for her to relax. When her breathing evened out a bit he drew his fingers out of her and lazily sucked them clean. He made a damn show of it too just to watch her narrow her eyes at him, pout and unsuccessfully fight off the shiver that overtook her.

“Meanie,” she pouted.

“Oh I’m _about_ to be a meanie now, Twig,” he chuckled, grabbing the lube again. “I did promise I’d bite.”

She stared up at him and smiled awkwardly, bound arms over her chest. “Eep.”

He pulled her arms over her head again and squirted some lube across her breasts, making her jump from the chilly contact. He bent down and kissed her neck, dragging his lips down and then squeezed her nipple between his teeth, causing the witch to jolt and try to pull away but he pinned her down while he cupped both breasts with his hands and purred at the slick, velvety feel. He squeezed them lovingly and then dragged his hands up and down her sides and down to her thighs.

Like so much strawberry syrup, the sweet lube added a wonderful flavor to her tender flesh as he kissed, licked and nibbled her like a treat. He gave her a hungry kiss and then nuzzled her neck, nipping and licking along the side as his hands glided back to her ass and gave it a loving squeeze.

Suddenly, with a single, fluid move, Dante flipped her over and sat back against the pillows piled before the headboard. Tess yelped, finding herself on her stomach on the bed, her butt facing him, and then he tugged her closer. He spread her legs and sighed at the lovely sight, now infinitely more appetizing after being tormented and he had his hands free to exploit. And now she was right on top of his cock too, and this time she could hardly afford to ignore it.

“Jeez, you really like that lube after all,” she muttered after a small whine when he squirted some more lube across her ass.

“It _is_ strawberry, Twig,” he chuckled and purposefully breathed softly onto her wet labia, to get her to shiver.

“Nnh! …Give me the damn lube, then,” she growled, holding up her bound hands and flapping her fingers impatiently.

He snickered and passed her the bottle, then grunted quietly as she squirted a bit over the tip of his cock. He inhaled through his teeth and his hips unintentionally bucked upwards momentarily but then he groaned quietly as her hands began to stroke him slowly. He happily kissed and caressed her plush thighs, getting a whiny mumble out of her when he nipped the tender inside of her thigh a few times.

Then he dipped his face between her legs again and purred; he’d never get tired of doing this, not when she reacted so much. She moaned as his tongue ran over her labia and then circled the little tortured nub smoothly. She seemed determined to take back some control and he grunted softly as her mouth enveloped him again. He loved the silky feel of her lips gliding down his length, aided by the lube. She moaned quietly as he lapped and suckled at her folds and the clit. He pushed his thumb into her to feel her walls contract and her thighs twitch when he dug it in deeper while squeezing her clit between his teeth.

She bucked against him suddenly and he huffed, biting down on his lip and stiffening up; he wanted her now and as he glanced at the soaked, slick mess in front of him, he grinned.

“Gettin’ tired there, Twig?” he asked cheekily, noting her slow pace.

“N-no,” she mumbled, squirming.

“Good, because I’m feeling impish.”

He sat up, tugging her onto his lap and immediately nuzzled her neck, wrapping his arms around her. His hands slid up to her breasts again, squeezing them both gently and he nipped her, leaving yet another mark over her shoulders. His cock pressed between her buttocks and a soft purr rumbled out of his chest. He grabbed the dildo again, turned it on and gently rubbed it across her core, making her flinch. The silky silicone was slick with lube and fluids and the vibration made her shiver, squirming and rubbing up against him.

“Heh, someone’s needy,” he purred, teeth tugging at her earlobe.

After a few more languid strokes, Dante grabbed her thigh and raised her leg, slinging his arm under her knee and gingerly pressed the tip of the vibrator against her opening. She shivered and babbled out a moan.

“I think I’m gonna let you off easy this time, Twig,” he purred in her ear.

She uttered a choked, wet moan as he pushed the vibrator in her, bucking against his hold momentarily but then crumbled against him as he began to thrust it slow, teasing her and at the same time ground his cock between her ass cheeks. There was ample lube present and he really relished the idea of the snug fit so much…

“So Twig… since ya mentioned it earlier, mind if I treat your ass the way you treated mine?” he purred in her ear.

Tess froze and a squeaked mewl climbed out of her throat. She made weak grabs for his hand thrusting the vibrator slowly and then tilted her head back against him, breathing hard.

“O-Only if you _do_ treat it the way I did…” she babbled.

“Of course,” he sighed, kissing her cheek. “Deep breath now…”

He tried _very_ hard to be patient and careful about this, even though his hips were trembling with the urge to do the exact opposite. His tip pressed against the tight, slick ring of flesh and her breath caught in her throat. He huffed, slowly pushing past the ring and groaning quietly at the warm, very tight fit that welcomed him. He froze for a moment to fight the urge to rush this. He slid his arm down, around her waist and pulled her down on his dick, sighing at her shaky moan as her ass finally came in contact with his crotch.

“Good girl,” he breathed.

She squeaked out a moan as her butt settled on his lap with a slight wriggle; it just made her jump because of the way the vibrator bumped against her sensitive clit and made her buck. He pondered for a moment and wordlessly yanked the silk to free her hands, letting her brace on the bed so she could move easier. He bent forward to press his chest against her back and nipped at her shoulder. He got a decent grip on the vibrator again and started to move it slow, just as his hips pulled away and then pushed forth again.

He shuddered; the feeling was incredible. The vibration from the toy travelled through her and tickled his cock and her ass squeezed down on him pretty hard. He thrust the dildo a bit faster, making the witch moan and he watched her arms quiver with weakness as a jolt travelled through her body. He sighed and smiled, seeing her hips start to move against his with each stroke. He kissed the back of her neck, encouraging her to move and caressed her skin up to her breasts, cupping one and tweaking the nipple between his fingers as he thrust faster. Holding on to the vibrator was getting difficult; it was so slick with fluids. But he managed to maintain good enough leverage to thrust it nice and hard, rubbing her clitoris with every buzzing stroke.

She babbled something vague and her entire body went stiff with a violent shiver, and Dante bit his lip. She peaked hard and he hugged her close as her body grew very tense and her hips twitched. Her walls must’ve clamped down hard on the vibrator because it slipped from his grip and he let her crumble a little, dropping to her elbows onto the bed. He grabbed her hips with both hands and continued to thrust, smiling a bit awkwardly as her hips still wiggled back against him. He bent down to whisper in her ear.

“Y’know, one of these days… we’re gonna play this game again… but this time _I’m_ gonna be the master,” he said.

He grinned from ear to ear because it sent a shiver down her spine and she uttered a stifled little moan. He kissed her neck softly and then nibbled on her skin again, licking all the bite marks he left on her.

“Glad you approve,” he sighed.

“M-meanie…” she pouted.

“You love it,” he chuckled, hugging her.

His hips ached; he thrust into her a few more times, his strokes slower and harsh, finally pulling her deep onto his cock and climaxed, grunting softly and tucking his face in her neck. His dick twitched and his hips were stiff with tension as he thrust a few more times with each spurt. He finally breathed out slowly, his grip on her relaxing. She was breathing hard under him and carefully leaned back, pulling her along. He kissed her shoulders and gently pulled out of her, making her shiver. He let her rest her back against his chest as he settled on his knees. She grumbled and fumbled with the vibrator, turning it off at last. She huffed, her shoulders slumping and she awkwardly removed the toy from her, cringing at the awkward, wet and slick noise.

Finally, they both flopped back on the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then.


	9. Chapter 9

They stayed like that for a good while, just lying on the bed in a silly pile silently. Dante was splayed out with his arms spread and Tess had slipped to lying with her head on his arm, one leg over his.

At long last, Dante sighed.

“That was certainly an experience,” he said quietly, still staring at the ceiling.

“Do you think I went overboard?” Tess asked, likewise preoccupied with the ceiling.

“Naw… _eeeh,_ maybe just a bit,” he sighed with a grin. “The phantom hands were a bit much. But it was fun. I was expecting whips and shit when you said you’d tie me up.”

“I don’t like whips,” she groused.

He smiled lazily. “You like it when _I_ spank you.”

“Yeah because you use your hand…” she sighed. “And I like your hands.”

“’Preciate the feedback, Twig.”

They suffered through a few moments of awkward silence before she rolled over and rested her chin on his chest.

“Did you… have fun?” she asked.

Dante craned his neck and looked at her. The bridge of her nose and her cheekbones were still rosy with the afterglow and she stared at him inquisitively, her lip caught under her teeth. He smiled lazily at her and bent his arm to comb his hand through her hair.

“Yup,” he said. “Guess you taught me a thing or two today, Twig.”

She snorted a bit but smiled, satisfied.

“You alright?” he asked back.

She shrugged. “Eh, bit sore as usual but I think this time I can actually walk.”

He chuckled. “I showed clemency ‘cuz you promised me a treat, Twig. Y’know what I could go for now, though?” he said.

“What?”

“A nice hot bath,” he said and sat up.

She pushed herself up to her knees. “Oh that’d be perfect.”

“ _With_ you,” he clarified.

“Well yes, obviously,” she said with a shrug.

Dante blinked at the witch. Then he narrowed his eyes. “You usually fight me more on these things.”

She snickered. “Yeah but now I want someone to cuddle with,” she grinned.

Dante swung his legs out of the bed and stretched lavishly, feeling his shoulders a bit stiff from being tied up earlier and scoffed at himself.

“You good, Twig?” he asked, seeing her massage the small of her back gingerly.

“I think so? My butt’s sore but I think I can walk,” she chuckled. “For _once_.”

He grinned widely. She gathered up the two vibrators and the nearly-empty and sticky lube bottle in the bed cover, carefully bundling the latter. He tutted at her, seeing that she’d spread an extra bed cover underneath, likely in anticipation for how soiled the top one would get.

“How long _were_ you planning this?”

She giggled and managed to look _a little_ guilty. “Couple of days? That’s kinda why I blew you off lately, I wanted you worked up to agree…”

Dante barked out a laugh. “You little manipulator!” he accused.

He grabbed her as she tried to scooch past him to the steps, carrying the bundled bed cover and gave her a kiss before she evaded him.

“You love it!” she cackled. “Oh yeah, there’s a sundae for you in the freezer… and if you don’t bring the tiramisu in the fridge and a spoon for me, you’re gettin’ cursed!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it babe,” Dante called after her, glancing around her room with a goofy smile.

For a moment he thought of snatching up something to wear but then he thought better of it. She’d just pranced through her house stark naked after tying him up, why was he feeling coy? He wandered into her kitchen and opened her freezer, then grinned broadly. Sitting pretty on a plate with a magic circle traced on it with marker, was a tall sundae glass stuffed to the brim with vanilla ice cream, whip cream and more diced strawberries than Dante knew what to do with.

 _She’s using magic to keep it freshly served? For me? I love witches…_ Dante thought with a sight.

He gleefully drew the treat out, grinning a little dumbly. Had he been more of a jerk he might’ve ignored her and just sat down to romance this glorious dessert but now he actually wanted to relax with her and a tasty dessert in a warm tub. He opened the fridge, picked up the hefty slice of tiramisu sitting pretty under a plastic cover. He hunted for spoons and headed to the bathroom, elbowing the door open. It was toasty warm in there now and the room smelled faintly of apples from a fizzing bath bomb.

Tess was washing off the two vibrators sheepishly but her grin widened when she saw him. She rinsed the toys off and left them by the sink to take her dessert from him and kiss his chin.

“You’ve definitely earned your sundae this time, Romeo,” she chuckled as they stepped into her bathtub.

The water was nicely hot and Dante smirked sheepishly as they settled in; she must have magically ensured the tub could fit them both but they were still pretty snug… or she made herself comfortable on his lap intentionally while daintily eating her tiramisu. He took a first bite of his sundae and had to fight off the urge to groan happily.

“Rose’s bourbon vanilla is amazing, right?” she giggled.

“Hot damn,” he commented around a spoonful. “This is almost as good as the last couple of hours.”

Tess blinked at him and started to laugh loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! 
> 
> Also, aftercare is important. If you don't spoil your partners, you aren't doing it right.


End file.
